Monday, February 21, 2011

100 Bottles Of Beer On The Wall.....100 Bottles Of Beer........

Last weekend was bottling day for the Beer Making Process.  It was very interesting to me.  But mostly, it was fun to see how much fun Mr. G and our son in law Jake were having.  They were like a couple of little boys on Christmas morning.
I had to laugh at this one.  It looks like Greg is holding the siphon tube to his mouth.  I assure you, he is not! 
They are starting a siphon to transfer the beer that has been proofing, from one barrel to another.  They had to distribute the sugar water into the beer to begin the next process by which the sugar water creates the carbonation after the beer is bottled, and rests another 2 weeks.
Taking a sip.  I took one too.  It was good!!  Even before the finishing two weeks.   So fresh and YEASTY!
Oh, and they trashed my kitchen!  Here they are talking about what to do next.
After an entire afternoon of turning our kitchen into a micro brewery, this is what they wound up with.
100 Bottles of Beer!  Or...a lot anyway!!
They brewed 5 gallons of beer.  They bottled most in regular size bottles, and a few in liter bottles, and then one of these little kegs.

Today, I cooked all day.  I wanted to make a meal to bring over to my neighbors house this afternoon.   I made a big tray of baked ziti, a green salad and a home made loaf of English Muffin bread.  French would have been the obvious choice, but this English Muffin bread is perfect for toasting, and I know my friend Sue likes it, so I made that.
Since I was making it anyway, I went ahead and made two pans of ziti.  Actually, ours was bow tie pasta since I didn't have enough ziti.  I even had two machines going to make the bread.  One for Sue and Carl, and one for us.
This was our baked bow tie pasta.  I made a sauce with lean beef, sweet Italian sausage, Italian seasonings.  Layer the pasta with ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese.  Then add second layer of pasta, and repeat cheese layers.  Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.   For ours, I made a salad of fresh orange and avocado.  If you have not tried this combination before, I suggest you do!  If I had some butter bib lettuce, I would have used that in the salad too.  But it was wonderful just with those two ingredients, and a bit of fresh ground sea salt and black pepper.
 YUMMY!
Over the weekend, we had a cold rain!  Once in  while, we get snow on the mountains right above us.  These are the Santa Ana Mountains.  They are very close.  We hike up there from time to time, and have even seen deer!   On Sunday morning the snow was beautiful!!!  I leave you with a few photos of the beauty of those mountains after a dusting of snow.  These were taken from our front yard.
I have been enjoying the rain and cold weather so much!!  Til Next time....

21 comments:

Holly said...

Makes me wish I liked beer! Your guys are so cute, they look like they are very serious about all of this. LOL. Your dinner looks great. Today I am making your bread. Hope it turns out as well for me as it does for you!

The Tuscan Home said...

Hi Kris,
Your meals always look so tasty...YUM!!! I think it's cute that they turned the kitchen into a micro brewery...interesting process for sure! Keep warm! ~Liz

From the Kitchen said...

The pasta looks delicious. Love the photos of your area with the mountains in the distance.

When can I expect to find that beer at my local grocery store?

Best,
Bonnie

Jennifer said...

Did you say you have been enjoying the rain and cold so much???? Is that even possible?:) The moutains are really pretty - but I just don't know about enjoying the rain and cold.

My brother was excited about the cold and precip - they are headed out for a ski weekend this one coming up...and the cold and precipitation has made great snow conditions not too far away.

Dinner looks wonderful!! by the way:)

Genn said...

Looks like Dad and Jake had fun with their beer. It is quite the process. They made a lot. Jake is so into it.

Pretty pics of the mountains!

Anonymous said...

Wow the beer making is no joke!
Ummm do you have to photograph Dad in his overalls? Good grief! Make him change next time, so embarrassing.

That dinner looks amazing! And the photos of your street are so so so pretty!!

Pammy Sue said...

Yum. Looks like a great dinner. Your neighborhood looks so pretty, and the view of the mountains is great!

~Niki~ said...

wow~you got a lot of beer out of that! awesome, you're good to go, for a week or two at least ;)
wink.
love the pics of your street, such clear day pics! have a great tuesday!

Debbie said...

It HAS been cold huh?? The mountain view from your house are gorgeous...We used to have the most stunning view of Mt. Baldy before we moved. All in all California is SUCH a pretty state. When Mel comes to visit now it is all she says...and wishes she had appreciated more when she lived here. Dinner looks yummy as usual.... = )

Debbie said...

It HAS been cold huh?? The mountain view from your house are gorgeous...We used to have the most stunning view of Mt. Baldy before we moved. All in all California is SUCH a pretty state. When Mel comes to visit now it is all she says...and wishes she had appreciated more when she lived here. Dinner looks yummy as usual.... = )

Kristi said...

Wow! The beer looks so good and so professional! When can I try it? You know I love beer, just like my Mom.

The mountains were so pretty, on my run on Sunday I went up to Upper and I had such a pretty view! And boy was it cold!

Reality Jayne said...

I love your cute little street and nieghborhood....Whoda thought a couple of bootleggers live ???...hehehe

Maryrose said...

Beer look delish...I happen to have an ice cold frosty mug waiting for an invite.

Great pics of the mountains. Wasn't that fun to have snow almost in our backyard?

Food looks tasty, I never met a noodle I didn't like!!!

DaCraftyLady said...

OMG that meal looks so good mymouth started to salivate...lol....I love the idea of the bread, and the beer making looks like so much fun. :) your street looks pretty.. :)

- said...

Yes, lovely neighborhood and I see grass!!!! I wish I could see it here.
Bet the beer is great. It's likely a lot tastier than the fake one I am having at the moment. Oh well.

Cindy said...

I just love your blog. Keep the great posts comin!!!

DaCraftyLady said...

Hi Kris, Well thanks for stopping by my blog. :) I usually blog mostly on the one you left a comment or
http://pbdesigns.blogspot.com
http://crochetoholic.blogspot.com
the one is mainly my crocheting projects and the other is all my crafting and life happenings :) Do stop by again, I just love your blog. :)

Kris said...

Erika...Dad looks cute in his overalls!!!!

Pam said...

The beer making looks like a success!

I wish you were my neighbor... I would love a pan of baked ziti, English muffin bread, and a green salad. You are so sweet.

Beautiful outdoor photos!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

My son made beer a few times Kris and enjoyed his efforts, but now with a little son and another on the way, he gave it up. My father-in-law and my husabnd use to make their own red wine ..it was very strong..lol

I love where you live --those mountains in the distance look so beautiful!

Pam - @diy Design Fanatic said...

How awesome! My husband has always wanted to make beer since he enjoys drinking it. The pasta looks good too!