Let them party!

Congratulations to the Canadian woman's team on their 2-0 victory over the USA and subsequently, winning the gold medal.

Of course I was rooting for the USA gals, but hey, hockey is a religion in Canada.  The game is tied to the identity of the people, so anything less than gold and its a failure in their eyes.

Anyhow, post victory, the Canadian woman decided to return to the ice with their medals, Cuban cigars and some ice cold Molson Canadian beer.    

Any problem with this?

Not from me.  I thought the celebration was cool.

However, the International Olympic Committee and the Canadian Olympic Committee, and their national media are up in arms.  How could they set such a "poor" example for others by smoking cigars and drinking beer?

Oh please.

Stick your political correctness up you ass and move along.  They were just celebrating a hard-fought, lifelong dream of winning an Olympic gold medal.  Leave 'em alone.

Man, I'm so sick and tired of crap like this.

I am hoping the USA men's team can beat Finland and then Canada for a second time (talk about  a nearly impossible task). I then hope to see them smoke some stogies and imbibe in some beers post-victory too.  :-)  Honestly, I'll be 100% shocked if USA were to beat both Finland and Canada and win the gold.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2010

Its Bigfoot season! 

No, not the mythical, hairy, ape-like creature, but the wonderful, full-bodied barleywine beer from the good folks from the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company from Chico, California.  Click here to see Sierra Nevada's web page for Bigfoot Barleywine.

This is one of my favorite beers.  Its always a bright spot in an otherwise, dull, long, cold, Michigan winter, when SN Bigfoot shows up on the shelves.

Bigfoot pours out to a dark ruby color in the glass with a nice, tan head.  The aroma is that of pine and malt.  The taste?  Most years, it reminds me of hoppier version of their popular Pale Ale, but this year was a bit different to me.  Sure, the pine notes and grapefruit flavors were there, but I also taste toffee this year as well, which, to me, made it more unique than ever.

Be careful how many you drink in a sitting though.  The alcohol is 9.6% ABV (regular fizzy yellow beers are around 5% and light beers around 4%).  The alcohol is hidden quite well, so they can sneak up on ya!

Check out the Beer Advocate reviews

A six pack of this will run you around $12. Its worth every penny.

Genesee Cream Ale and Avanti Cigars...I've gone old school

I've smoked cigars for 14 years. Over the years, I've accumlated hundreds of premium (and bundled) handrolled cigars. I love Padrons, LaGloria Cubanas, Sancho Panza Extra Fuertes, Punch and Hoyo DeMonterrey's. I've got several hundred aging gracefully in 4 humidors. I enjoy a good cigar.

Along the way, I'm also a fan of good beer. I've also tried a ton of different beers. I'd say I've probably had over 800 now, with India Pale Ales, porters and stouts being my favorite styles.

So why last week, did I ghetto-ized myself and hit up the Genny Cream Ale and Avanti cigars instead of a Punch Rothschild and a Bell's Two-Hearted Ale?

Ah, cream ale.

When I was around 17, we had a few guys who had some killer fake I.D.'s. We'd hit the store and buy cases of Cinci Cream Ale in the short, stubby, 12oz. bottles that came in the heavy, cardboard case. The stuff was $6 a case and tasted amazing. Years went by, Cinci Cream Ale disappeared and so did the availability of cream ales. With the advent of microbrewing, many brewers brought cream ales back to their portfolios, but they never really caught on. A cream ale is sort of an ale/lager hybrid. Ale yeast, but sweet, lager taste.

Several years ago, I discovered Genesee Cream Ale out of New York state. Its an excellent CHEAP beer that reminds me of the beloved Cinci Cream Ale of my youth. The problem was, it was never available in Michigan. Until now. I discovered it in my local stores and can say I am quite happy. Will it replace craft beer for me? No, but it will fill a happy niche'.

As for cigars. I love a good, handrolled cigar. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than an hour with a good cigar. It makes me relax, and that is a good thing. However, I have my dark, cigar secret. I like Avanti's and have for many years. These cigars are dry-cured, and machine-made, and are all-tobacco (no homogenized tobacco binder or wrapper). They are made in Scranton, Pennsylvania, by the Avanti Cigar Company and are of the toscano (Italian) style. The Avanti's are brushed with anise (black licorice) and I swear its like eating/smoking Good N'Plenty candy. I am a fan of black liquorice, so this is just a bonus. Pair it up with a few fingers of bourbon, and you've got yourself a half hour of good times. Like craft beer, this inexpensive cigar won't replace my four humidors of handrolled ones, but it does afford me a cheap "luxury" when I don't feel like smoking an expensive 'gar. :-)

The Soup Party

Every year in February, my sister and brother-in-law host an event we all simply call, "The Soup Party."

The Soup Party consists of 35-40 friends and relatives, 12-15 crockpots of soup, fresh breads, desserts and alot of wine.

Its more fun than a holiday get-together. Everybody likes soup, right?

This year, I am making a Mexican Chorizo Noodle Soup. A batch has been "tested" by friends and neighbors and received enthusiastic approval.

So, if you happened to find this blog entry (my first in nearly 2 years), grab this recipe and make some soup. You won't regret it.

Mexican Chorizo Noodle Soup

2 cloves of garlic
1 small onion cut up
1 small can (14-15oz.) diced tomatoes
42 ounces chicken broth
1 tbsp. ancho chili powder
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tbsp. chipolte chili powder
1 tbsp. dried parsley
1 lb. chorizo sausage (I prefer to buy the links and remove the sausge from the casing)
7 oz. package fideo noodles (in the Mexican section of your grocery story or us can use very fine noodle or broken up angel hair)

Put garlic, onion and diced tomatoes in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into soup pot.
Add the chicken broth. Stir together.
Add the ancho, chipolte powders and cumin.
Let simmer while you prepare the chorizo.
Take the chorizo out of the casing (no needed if you buy it loose). Cut into small, bite-sized pieces and brown in a frying pan until cooked. Drain the grease. I like to put the cooked chorizo in a strainer and rinse it. Once rinsed, add the chorizo to the soup pot.

Add the parsely.

Add the fideo noodles.

Simmer for 15 minutes.