Monday Links: Gluten Free Beers

Can I just say that 2012 has been my best year ever so far?  I feel healthy, I have so much love, and I am filling my life with wonderful moments.  In fact, just last week when the temperature topped at 65 degrees and the sun was warm on my face, Tim and I sat on our patio, listening to a Spotify playlist that I made for him, a cold beer in front of each of us, and chatted about our days.

Welcome back to my life, Beer.  You are most welcome to keep coming around.

If you are looking for a gluten free beer for yourself or if you'd like to buy something special for when a gluten free friend or family member comes over for dinner, I recommend any of these options.

My very favorite beer is Green's Gluten Free Amber Ale (pictured above).  I ordered it this past weekend at Brazenhead and even my husband agreed that it was a fantastic option as far as gluten free goes.  It really has a smooth, rich taste without being too heavy and no metallic aftertaste.  (Also, I'm so pleased that Brazenhead had several options for gluten free customers including a few gluten free beers and several ciders on tap.  Way to go, Brazenhead!)

I also tried Green's Gluten Free Dark Ale at Dilly Cafe, and I was impressed that it was just as dark and thick as a Guinness.  It had a strong chocolate and coffee flavor at the first taste but finished didn't leave a heavy or sticky mouthfeel.  I thought it was awesome to have the option of a serious dark beer, but I'd prefer it as an after dinner drink rather than something to pair with food.  

Also discovered at Dilly Cafe is DogFish Head Tweason'ale.  It's a seasonal gluten free beer that has a lovely scent of strawberries on the nose but is not overly sweet on the palate.  Also, the strawberry flavor doesn't last much after the first sip, and I appreciated that as I don't usually like my beers too fruity.  It's a medium bodied beer, very refreshing and would pair wonderfully with some simple roast chicken or a salad.  If you can find it, I'd definitely recommend seeking this out!

A big thank you to the Cincy Beer Festival for including New Planet Gluten Free Beer in their vendor list.  I discovered this beer there and all of the selections offered were wonderful.  I particularly liked their lightest beer, the Tread Lightly Ale.  It's the perfect backyard barbeque beer, and it's light enough that it would probably be unnoticeable to any non-gluten free beer drinks that it's missing the gluten!  Locally, it can be found at the Dorothy Lane Markets in Dayton, and trust me--it's worth the drive to check out DLM and get this beer!  (I picked up some on Saturday and it was stacked in front of the beer coolers.)

Lastly, I might as well tell you that in just about every well stocked Kroger that I've been into around Cincinnati, you can find Anheuser-Busch's gluten free beer offering, Redbridge.  It's not my favorite--just like Bud Light was never my favorite--but in a pinch, it's easy to find, not too expensive, and definitely drinkable.  I've picked some up when I just wanted a convenient choice.

I truly appreciate every single one of these companies for pioneering--or jumping on the bandwagon of--gluten free beers!  You all get a big thumbs up from me.

To my gluten free readers, am I missing any of your favorites?

Monday Links: Cold Nights, Hot Drinks

The weather held out for our New Year's Eve trip to southeastern Ohio, but the temperature plummeted to 20 degrees on New Year's Day.  Mentally, I was ready for the cold, but physically I was chilled to the core.  Instead of going into a hibernation this month, I am focusing on ways to warm up.

My solution: steamy beverages.  In this week's edition of Monday Links, I've rounded up some hot drinks that I've been eyeing around the web. 

Molly and Matthew debate hot chocolate vs. hot cocoa as well as share some recipes for their favorite versions on Episode 54 of their Spilled Milk Podcast. 

I'm sure it's not a healthy prescription for stress, but a Hot Toddy sounds like the perfect way to recover from a tough day at the office. 

If you are like me and have leftover fresh pumpkin puree from the holidays, this Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe from Our Share of the Harvest is a great way to use it up.  (And I don't think eating pumpkin should be limited to November, do you?)

Melissa loves Chai Teas from Starbucks (and so do I) so I think it's high time we learned to make our own.  Thanks Tasty Kitchen for these step-by-step instructions on making a chai tea concentrate. 

Alright, I know this isn't quite fitting with my theme, but wouldn't it be cute to drink out of these mustache mugs?  It makes me giggle just thinking about it.  Mustaches never go out of style. 

Do you have any hot drink suggestions to add to my list?  Share in the comments.

Monday Links: 2011 Holiday Gift Guides Round-Up

Instead of creating my own, I decided to to link out to some of the gift guides I've found around the web.  I'm nearly done with my holiday shopping--and I've done it almost exclusively online--but I need to pick out a few more items.  I hope you get some inspiration to shop for yourself or your loved ones.

Wine Me Dine Me Holiday's Gift List Part 1 and Part 2  (maybe more to come?)

The Proper Man: A Gentleman's Gift Guide (a Homefries blog)

The Kitchn's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide for Good Food Causes 

We Are Not Martha's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide for Food Lovers

Simple Bites 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Top 10 Cookbook Picks  (sidenote: I really want Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five!)

The Homesick Texan Gift Guide 2011 (in honor of my Texas family--send me some of that Dr. Pepper, would you?)

A variety of Gift Guides from Serious Eats

Want more ideas?  Hit up the treasuries on Etsy for themed collections. (I particularly like this mustache-themed collection!)

Not a gift guide exactly, but you can order Gluten-Free Gift Baskets to send to loved ones from this new website, So Lucky

(tip-hover over the website names for active links to the sites)

Have you finished your shopping?  Are there any gift guides that I should add to my list?  Please tell me in the comments!

Monday Link Love: Inspiration

I would consider myself a person who thinks a lot--maybe too much.  My mind drifts off when I'm waiting at the pharmacy or stirring a pot of risotto.  I cry during all Pixar movies and even sometimes watching commercials.  I am a dreamer.  A believer.  I'm sure some would say I just have a wild imagination, but I don't think that's the reason.  Life moves me. 

So today I'm sharing some of that inspiration with you (food and non-food related). 

My beautiful, talented, smart cousin Joy is a truly motivated young woman.  She's already completed a young adult novel!  And she shares about her goals to be a published writer over on her blog.  Check it out--she will make you laugh, make you think, and make you want to chase your dreams, too. 


Do you think Thanksgiving can't exist without the turkey?  Aimee is proving that wrong with her round-up of vegetarian Thanksgiving dishes.  I think she's onto something, here. 

We went to a fund-raiser on Saturday night for the Midwest Boston Terrier Rescue. It's the rescue from which we adopted our amazing Boston Terrier mix, Murray.   It felt really good to support the rescue's mission and motivated me to be more involved in something that I truly believe in.

Speaking of going after your goals, I loved today's blog post from Joy the Baker.  She shares 10 tips on how to build a successful blog--and most of them you might already know but need to hear.   My favorite:  pretty things are important.  I'm going to work on that. 

You may be in denial, but Christmas is just around the corner.  I'm inspired by the modern-homemaking goddess, Cherry Menlove.  She started her series on preparing for Christmas with sharing an extremely useful template to keep track of holiday gifting and budgets.  I've already printed three copies!

Has anything around the web inspired you lately?  Please share!

See you back here soon.  As always, thanks for stopping by. 

Monday Link Love: Breakfast

I love breakfast.  I mean it--I really love breakfast.  On Saturdays, my mom would often make pancakes from a recipe out of our worn red and white plaid cookbook.  Or she would cut shapes in our toast in order to fry an egg in the middle of them.  If it was a Sunday, we were more likely to have a big breakfast casserole, assembled the day before, and baked as soon as we returned from church.  To satisfy a five member family, half of the casserole was cheese-only and the other half had diced ham or crumbled sausage. 

Even after moving to Cincinnati, I have continued to love this morning meal.  It doesn't have to be complicated, but it's easy to see if something has been prepared with care.  I've selected some recipes from blogosphere that you should check out, and keep them in mind when you're planning your next special breakfast.

Tracy from Shutterbean wrote about this twist on an Egg-in-a-Hole--she cracks the egg into a circular slice of red bell pepper. This is a great option for someone cutting back on their bread intake or upping their veggies. 

Eating something quick for breakfast doesn't mean you have to sacrifice on flavor.  Bree posted a step-by-step recipe for Strawberry Spoon Jam which would be incredible on a scone or biscuit. Dare I say you could even eat this on your morning commute? 

A fellow Panera Bread lover, Amber has a recipe for Ham & Swiss Baked Egg Souffles.  I'm partial to Amber's blog name as well because my father-in-law, a San Antonio resident, loves the blue bonnets, too.

Joy the Baker is known for her sinful sweet treats, but it's okay to indulge at breakfast, too, right?  (I think Joy would say--emphatically--yes.)  I'm definitely making this Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread SOON. 

Skip the Eggo Waffles.  Molly has two waffle recipes in one post on Orangette--and one is an adaptation of the Waffle Of Insane Greatness.  How can you pass that up?

I've already told you I'm a sucker for a runny egg, and it's in it's best form poached and perched atop a crispy english muffin.  And then drenched in hollandaise sauce? Amazing.  Josh, half of Two Peas and Their Pod, made the quintessential Eggs Benedict for his wife, Maria.  This breakfast is one I could never get sick of and is easily modified for more modern versions. 

Happy Monday to all of you!