Tag Archives: hiking

Blazing Trails

Yesterday was a nice, speedy ten hour brew day! Mash tuns were cleaned, kettles were scrubbed, wounds were reopened…
You’re welcome for that.
Today I watched water boil – a watched pot actually DOES end up boiling! Don’t believe the lies!
We cleaned about fifteen kegs and got to sample some experimentational recipes from Chuy, the head chef. Unfortunately my phone died before I could grab proof of the ale-battered and panko encrusted calamari, pear and gorgonzola ravioli in a creamy cilantro pesto, deep fried pear and gorgonzola ravioli, mahi mahi with a coconut mango salsa and a crab omelette. Needless to say, I got my cheesesteak to go, and as soon as I got home I headed for the hills.
It was beautifully cloudy out. I ventured on a new hike that weaves through the canyons and up insanely steep hills.
I stumbled across a headless squirrel! I decided to spare you the gore, but I can tell you that it was quite a traumatic death for that poor rodent.
There was a massive fire here a few years ago that left the park charred.
The fact that oil is seeping from the ground probably didn’t help calm the flames. This park used to be an oil field and there are dozens of black slicks around as well as a strong odor of sulfur through part of the trek.
The nice 5.1 mile hike probably burned off half of what I consumed, so I’m going to refuel with the gigantic cheesesteak I brought home from Wolf Creek.

Tomorrey evening I head down to San Diego for the Craft Brewers Conference! Prepare for an overdose of beer pictures in the next few days. So. Much. Beer. Awaits!

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Filed under brewery

Real Life Begins… NOW!

I’m officially done with my job working for the artist! After the lovely evening at Four Peaks Brewing, we had a windy drive home.
It was an incredibly turbulent drive.
It’s always fun driving through the desert when the road suddenly disappears and all you see is sand blowing in front of you. Not knowing if you’re driving on the actual road or barreling through the desert is such a rush!After we got back, I needed to crack open a beer I’d picked up while in Tempe. Lips of Faith Cocoa Mole – I wouldn’t say I “liked” this one, but it was definitely unique! It had a rich cinnamon and chocolate flavor with a massive punch of spice on the end, and a lasting smokiness from the chipotle peppers. I won’t be getting it again, but I’m glad I got to try it.
Then came work. And lunch at work. I varied between the Taos eggrolls…
… and the seared ahi build-your-own tacos, among many other delicious options throughout the week.
Oh right, and there was work too! We brewed a hefeweizen, I scrubbed out the tank, we added booze to a very special beer…
Rye whiskey in beer – this is gonna be GOOD!
I also made it a point to get out on the trails in my new area. Getting up at 6am isn’t ideal for me for hiking, but since I got one of them “real” jobs, it’s the only chance I’ve got.
And there’s nothing wrong with greeting the sunrise from the top of a mountain!

I’m off to work at Enegren Brewing today, loaded up with some face cookies! I hope you all have an amazing weekend!
Another gem from the drive back home.

HAPPY EASTER!!!

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Filed under Daily Life

The Meal of my Dreams!

Today was a BEAUTIFUL day! It started out with a hike the national park, in 68 degree weather.
Followed the hike with half of an icy cold Green Monsta and a half serving of Kitchen Sink Salad. Half-back to the classics!
I’m practicing this newfangled concept of eating smaller portions and stopping when I’m satisfied. No idea how my roommate convinced me to go on this crazy journey, but I’m in for a ride!

Dinner was a beautiful mish-mash of different eating concepts. I made Angela’s Cranberry, Apple and Almond Quinoa, but added in a stalk of chopped celery to the onion and carrot saute, cut the salt in half, and used raisins instead of cranberries. I tried this recipe a few weeks ago, force-fed it to my roommates (who first tried my terrible, mushy Lemony Quinoa and swore to never consume quinoa again) and created quinoa-lovers! They actually requested it to be on tonight’s menu!

I also made Chicken with Pineapple Salsa from the Sonoma Diet Cookbook one of my favorite cookbooks ever! The combination of the acidic, tart fresh pineapple with the smoky spice of chipotle peppers will knock your socks off!
Roasted broccoli rounded out the meal, which we ate slowly, taking our time to chat and actually taste and enjoy the food! This concept is just so INNOVATIVE! Who woulda thunk? We even went so far as to use pretty placemats and tapered candles to make it feel like an event. Try this! It makes the meal so much more enjoyable!
This may, in fact, be the best healthy meal I’ve had all year. Hooray for leftovers!!!

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Filed under Dinner, Sonoma Diet, Uncategorized