Forecasts went out the window today. Firstly, the high temperature was nowhere near the 100 degree mark that some forecasters had trumpeted over the weekend. Secondly, even the SPC pulled in its horns and removed our area from their original slight r…

Our latest offering at the wine bar.

It’s always fun picking out a wine each week to go with our Sunday dinners. It gives us a chance to test our own pairing skills. This last Sunday we decided to do something different and pick out some beers to go with dinner. This inspired me to cook with beer a little too. So I made some Asian-inspired mussels cooked in Belgian white ale (a Belgian wheat beer brewed with spices). I won’t give you the recipe because this might end up on the wine bar menu at some future point, but basically I cooked a mixture of rice vinegar, curry paste, soy sauce, fish, sauce, and a few herbs and vegetables. Then I cooked the mussels in Floris Wit, a Belgian White ale. After the mussels were cooked I removed them, then poured the mixture back into the ale. Then I poured all that back over the mussels. The results are on the picture shown. Kyle tried pairing them with different beers, and of course the Floris was the best pairing.

Then I cooked some burgers, half pork burgers and half bison burgers. These weren’t just any burgers, though. I cooked some chopped pancetta and then mixed it in with the ground meat. Then I added fresh thyme, salt, and pepper. It’s a bit more work, but you get much more flavor than with a regular burger. Rebecca paired hers with the Affligem Blonde, a Belgian abbey golden ale. Kyle went with the Allagash Tripel, a Belgian-style Tripel, or ‘triple’ ale that’s strong, malty and spicy. Allagash brewery is based in Maine but makes Belgian ales. I went with the La Moneusse Saison, also from Belgium. A Saison is a French/Belgian farmhouse ale that’s brewed and then left to age for a few months. I knew it would pair well because it has an earthy taste, and whether it’s beer or wine it’s the ones with earthy flavors that usually pair the best with food.

Our beer dinner was fun, we recommend trying it yourself. All the beers I mentioned are available at both stores. Here’s a challenge to everybody: If you’re normally a wine drinker, pair a dinner with beer this week. If you’re a beer drinker, try a wine as your next pairing. As always, we’re happy to make suggestions.

Here’s the official announcement from the 1st District Democrats:
The 1st Congressional District Committee announced today that it has nominated Bill Day of Fauquier County, as its candidate for the United States House of Representatives from the 1st Congressional District of Virginia.
Day, a licensed counselor in Fauquier County, has a long record as a businessman and […]

It’s just as bad as you expect. So bad, that it crosses over into funny.

Bill and Minnie Walker have a home in Florida, but they spend their summer months as US State Park camp hosts. In return for a minimum of six hours of work, five days a week, camp hosts in Virginia’s state parks can save hundreds of dollars with free c…

Review of the book
A person who has never held a real job, but who spins with such skill….hmm, that sounds like Hillary (or Bill, or Billary)! But perhaps the real point for Americans to ponder: if a white candidate went to a church with a racist pastor who preached hatred of one race, and […]

By “heck breaking loose”, I refer to a certain Supervisor whining and complaining.
Press release:
Dear Chamber Members,
This year, the Chamber has been on the move in many ways —– next week we’ll add another!
On August 7, the Caroline Chamber of Commerce will relocate to a new office at 18067 Jefferson Davis Highway in Ladysmith. […]

If you are one of my Republican readers that actually believes the bullshit spewed by the Bush administration about how the surge is making life so great in Baghdad, please watch this series of videos (about 16 min total).
City of Walls
Killing Fields
Iraq’s lost generation
Of course, I’m sure life really is full of fuzzy bunnies in […]