I’ve always heard that you can tell that a girl’s from Texas if she can drink beer. Most people equate Lone Star Beer with The Lone Star State, but a beer that I’m finding more often outside of Texas is Shiner Bock beer. In college Shiner was elite keg party beer. Usually the Shiner keg was tucked away and you had to be invited to have some. Now that I’m gainfully employed; I can get Shiner whenever I want.

Shiner, TX is a small town about an hour to 90 minutes east of Austin. The population of the town is about 2,500 which is  about the same size of the town I grew up in. Do you know that kind of place? There was a time in high school that my friends and I sat at the lunch table and named everybody in the room (first and last name). That’s a small town!

This St. Patrick’s Day I wanted to make Irish Stew, but as I was mixing and simmering in the kitchen I started to deviate from the recipe and ended up with what I’m calling, Shiner Bock Stew.

From the Shiner website, they describe their beer as:

Shiner Bock is a distinctive, rich, full-flavored, deep amber-colored beer. Its handcrafted brewing process creates an inviting smooth taste without the excessive bitterness that characterizes many micro, specialty and imported beers.

Shiner Bock Stew

32 oz Beef broth
2 Bottles Shiner Bock Beer
1 T garlic
1 T dry Thyme
2 T tomato paste
2 lbs stew beef
1/4 c oil
3 lbs yellow potatoes (chopped about 1/2 inch slices)
1 lg yellow onion (diced)
2 c chopped carrots (chopped)

For the broth
Brown the beef in soup pot with oil. Add beef broth, beer, garlic, thyme and tomato paste in large soup pot.

For the other ingredients
Brown potatoes, onion and carrots in large skillet for about 10 minutes. Add veggies to beef broth.

To finish
Allow to cook for 40 minutes. Tastes better the next day.

The theme around my office is that 2008 is going to be 200GR8 and I like the sound of that! I know to start the year off I need a green recalibration. So, where I was a true shade of green through the fall, I turned kinda mint green through the holiday.

The busy hustle of the end of year has me walking around the house looking at all the things I let go and trying to see what else I can do to really make it 200GR8!

1. Unplug the counter top appliances. I’m not using the mixer daily as I was through December and there’s no reason to have the old reliable mixer plugged in.

2. Recycled paper towels and toilet paper. It’s a bit more expensive, but in the grand scheme of things, I think I can work it into my budget.

3. Taking my lunch to work. This will save a trip out during the day and it taste so much better than anything I can get around my office. One tip that’s making this easy? Soup. I’ve made a big batch of soup of Taco Soup on Sunday and been chowing on that all week.

4. Pay attention to what you’re putting into your recycle bin. If it’s still dirty, then it can’t go. That means cardboard pizza boxes! and it’s helpful to rinse out and drain your cans.

Taco Soup
Prep Time 10 minutes/ Cook Time 30 minutes

1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans (with jalapeños optional)
1 can corn
1 can Rotel (you pick the flavor)
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 cans water
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet Ranch dressing
1 lb ground meat (lean beef or turkey)
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced

In a soup pot pour in all canned ingredients (don’t drain them) and put in the taco and Ranch seasoning packets.

In a skillet, brown the meat with the onion and peppers. Drain off any additional grease and mix into the soup pot.

Heat through. Soup’s flavors will mix more throughout the week.

Comfort zone. Doesn’t it feel good to get outside of it?

On Thursday, I rode the city bus to work. A bus ride for me, is usually coupled with an overseas vacation. I can honestly say that I have not been on a public bus as a matter of living my everyday life ever.The rental car shuttle bus is as close as I’ve been in the States.

Guess what! It wasn’t scary. It wasn’t dirty. It WAS quite relaxing actually. Here’s what I can tell you about my experience and what I learned on my first day:

•  Correct change! The Phoenix Metro doesn’t give change.
• iTunes books. Pick one, load it up and enjoy.
• Pull the cord. Before your stop, pull the cord by the window to let them know you need them to stop at the next station.
• Green button. This one is a little insider’s tip. The door doesn’t automatically open. You have to push the green button.

Once I got to work, I started doing a little more investigating and I talked with a colleague who also rides the bus. I was shocked at the expense; $2.50 for a round trip. That’s more expensive than it cost me to drive my good ol’ American hot rod to the office.

I want to be kind to good mama Earth, but holy cow. That will really add up.  Then, I heard of yet another benefit of working for my company. SUBSIDIZED BUS PASSES and a guarantee ride home program.

I filled out a quick form and in seconds the front desk gave me a bus pass that allows me to ride for free and because I’m now an alternative mode user, they will guarantee me a ride home if theres an emergency or reason that I can’t get home before the last bus leaves the office.

I think my schedule can handle one bus ride per week and I’m trying to arrange a car pool for another day of the week.

And, what’ a weekend without some yummy explorations. I’ve been exploring my Junior League cookbook collection and I found this southwest inspired pumpkin soup.  It was delicious and so easy to make.

What I liked most about it was, that it took traditional squash soup and knocked out the traditional nutmeg/cinnamon combination and kicked it up a notch with  chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper.

Southwest Pumpkin Soup (8700 Pumpkin Soup)
Serves 8/ Prep Time 10 minutes/ Cook Time 35 minutes

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 shallots, chopped
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
1 t each cumin, oregano, hot chili powder, cayenne pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 quart vegetable broth, heated
1 T tomato paste
2 lbs pumpkin or any other hard yellow squash, peeled, seeded, chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/4 cup milk

Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium high heat.
Add the onions, garlic, shallots, green onions, cumin, oregano, chili powder and cayenne pepper; mix well.
Saute until the onions are soft. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables.
Cook for 12 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
Add the vegetable broth, tomato paste, pumpkin and cilantro; mix well. Simmer until the squash is tender. Transer the mixture to a blender container. Process until smooth.
Add the milk; mix well.

 Learning. I love the learning process that commences whenever I find a new recipe that either features a method, ingredient or region I haven’t explored before. While sifting though old magazines, I came across a page I had dog-eared with a recipe for Harira. A soup from Northern Africa.

We had a team building event a few weeks ago and one of the exercises was a simple one in the leader had a series of words and when one was spoken you either stayed standing or sat down depending on which word most like you; Like if I said Saturday or Sunday, stay standing for Saturday and sit for Sunday.

I’m a Sunday. For me, my whole weekend is working towards creating a peaceful, flavorful, relaxing Sunday evening. Laundry done, projects wrapped up, errands ran. Sunday for me is all about one night where I can sit with my book, magazine, TV, food, wine and just be still for a bit.

This soup is full flavored, rich and simple. I had to make some variations and the recipe I documented below is how I made it. You will find several different variations online.

Golden Lentil Soup (Harira)- Adapted from Martha Stewart
Serves 6-8 Prep/Simmer 10 minutes Cook 35 minutes

2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinced
8 cups low sodium vegetable stock
4 cups water
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 t grey sea salt
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup yellow lentils, rinsed
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t freshly ground pepper
3 cloves
4 oz orzo

1.  Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, and cook 5 minutes. Add chickpeas, stock and water. Simmer 5 minutes.
2. Mash garlic, finely chopped cilantro and salt into a paste (like a pesto). Add garlic paste, celery, tomatoes, lentils, lemon juice and spices to pot. Simmer until lentils are tender, 30-40 minutes.
3. Serve with lemon wedge and freshly chopped cilantro.

I remember the first fight I saw at school. I went home wide-eyed and told my parents what happened. My mom lectured that classy girls don’t get into fights and my dad whole heartedly agreed.

Not ten minutes later, my dad called me into the garage.  “Listen, if you ever get into a fight, you’ll be grounded and I don’t want you to get your butt kicked either. So we’re going to practice throwing some punches.”

Fifteen years later, I’m a regular Joe Frasier.

Now, one thing I don’t quite understand is how did I get a bruise on my leg playing a video machine? (if you have a low res monitor it might be hard to see, but trust me, it’s there)

Ok, to the good stuff.

Greek Tortellini Soup
Prep: under 10 minutes Cook: 22 minutes Serves: 6

4 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (9 ounce) packages tortellini (3 cheese or mushroom)
1 cup diced roasted boneless chicken
1 can quartered artichoke hearts (drained and chopped)
7 ounces fresh baby spinach
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 can white beans (drained)

Combine first 5 ingredients and bring to a boil. Add tortellini, cook, uncovered 8 minutes. Stir in chicken, artichoke hearts, spinach, beans and oregano. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated.