It’s been awhile since we really blogged. You know the original blog post, a wrap up of the blogger’s life and ideas that pop in their heads. Usually we write in a more educational manner trying our best to educate. Today is different. This weekend we had a perfect storm of visitors. Our old roommates from the good old days when we lived in Madrid were in town for the long weekend, which inevitably meant lots of fun foods and some unexpected card games of Liar. A wonderful weekend, as well as an opportunity throw down on a few meals since I had such an attentive audience. First night, it was port brined pork loin (that’s a mouthfull), followed by Country chicken paired with roasted purple potatoes and green beans with walnuts and cured ham the following night. Both meals deserved pictures and descriptions, but alas, the food disappeared before I had a chance. For those of you with a grill and some gumption, however, here’s how to cook the the Pork(everyone’s favorite)!

Combine in a large pot, or bucket, the following: 1 x3lb-5lb piece of whole pork loin, 1 bottle cheap Port wine(ruby), a few cloves, a few sticks of cinnamon, 2 bay leafs, a cup and a half of rock salt, a cup of sugar and half a nutmeg nut chopped coarsely. Cover the meat with cold water and let sit for approximately 8 hours.

When the meat has finished brining, get a very hot two stage …

I love beer. I really do. I remember my first Rolling Rock in Taos, New Mexico, after the last ski run of my senior year Spring Break. Cool crisp and my very first. I didn’t really drink in High School, as I was “straight edge” and too cool to get wasted. But after I turned 18, I said, “That’s enough! Time to drink.” From that first Rolling Rock, up until about the year 2000, beer for me was a cool, wet beverage that gave me a nice buzz. Beer was the party beverage, while wine was the sophisticated drink. I studied wine, while I studied the bottom of beer bottles. Nothing new here, as most of you can relate, or at least a few of you.

However, around 2000-2001, I discovered beer in its true form, a beverage with historic roots, complicated ingredients and myriad flavors. It’s also when I discovered the beer site www.ratebeer.com. I still have over 500 beer ratings stored over there. You see what happened when I discovered Rate Beer was an awakening that few wine lovers will ever fully grasp. Beer and wine have more in common than most would expect. 99% of wine should be drunk tomorrow, and so should 99% of beer, but the best wines and best beers both age and transform into drinks that are worth the wait.

If I still lived in the US, Catavino, apart from being named something else, would be a beverage blog. Plain and simple. I love complex and beautiful flavors, and for me, …