Friday Five, Summer Shandies

Hi Folks! Summer time means one thing - summer shandies. or is that just me

A shandy is pretty much a citrus based beer, usually lemon or lime. They are light, refreshing, and perfect on a hot summer day. They don't weigh you down while you are spending the day at the lake or the beach. They are perfect, so I thought I would round up my favorites in today's Friday Five!

1. Leinenkugel Summer Shandy. Also known as the fruity pebbles beer because it tastes like.. fruity pebbles. It is definitely my favorite of all the summer shandies. 

2. Shock Top Lemon Shandy. Another favorite, shock top has great flavor. Quick tip: Shock Top is always better on draft. Although equally delicious Shock Top is unfiltered which means there is some unappetizing sediment in the bottom of the bottle. 

3. Curious Traveler. A lemon shandy that has a mustache. sophisticated beer.

4. Narragansett Dells Shandy. Rhode Island beer meets Rhode Island icy treat. Although I was hoping for more with this beer (there was some serious hype) it does have an after taste of lemonade not just lemons, and it works well with beer cocktails which I shared in a previous post. 

5. Bud Light Lime. Technically not a shandy, but the absolute best beer to drink at the beach. 

What are your favorite summer beers? 

xo. Casey

Blu On The Water

As summer is winding down I wanted to share with you my choice for the official spot of the summer - Blu on the Water located in East Greenwich. Blu has great food, delicious drinks, and awesome music all summer long. Everyone is so relaxed there, enjoying the summer without a care in the world either on the deck or docked on their boats listening to the music. 

They have complimentary valet service and indoor/outdoor seating with three different bars outside on the deck. If a popular band like World Premier is playing you better get a table early or else you are looking at an hour and a half wait to get a spot outside. 

The food is pretty great too. The menu isn't too big, and I have tried almost half the things on the menu. I have never had a bad experience at Blu when it comes to the food. The mahi mahi fish tacos are awesome - huge pieces of mahi mahi with a mango salsa and guacamole. The Caribbean jerk chicken sandwich with blue cheese crumbles has become my new favorite item on their menu. Their clamcakes, lobster crab cakes, and muscles frites are awesome appetizers, and they have some of the best calamari I have ever had. You have two options, either the buffalo calamari which is fried and coated in buffalo sauce, or the Rhode Island style calamari with hot peppers and olives. My boyfriends favorite is the BBQ bacon burger. And do not forget to upgrade your fries to the truffle Parmesan fries- so good!

The drinks are pretty awesome as well. Although a little pricey, they are a large sized drink and are extremely delicious. If it is your first time at Blu I highly recommend the watermelon sangria- it is out of this world. 

Blu on the Water completely embodies summer time for me. As the summer winds down I will definitely be taking advantage of the couple weeks left I have to spend at blu before they close for the winter. 

What's your favorite summer spot? 

xo. Casey

"Bobby Flays" Miami Burger

Today I have the first recipe in my "Cook Through the Book Challenge!"

The Miami Burger

Ingredients: 

          1. ground beef

                                 2. bun - I used an onion roll

             3. smoked ham

              4. swiss cheese

          5. dill pickles 

     6. mustard
7. mayo

             8. roasted garlic

            9. salt & pepper

Method of Prep:

1. Form your ground beef into a patty, and make a small indentation in the center of the patty. Cook in a skillet to your preference. I like my burgers to be cooked to medium temperature. 

2. Mix the mayo in a bowl with the roasted garlic, salt and pepper. *to roast garlic simply wrap the whole head in tinfoil and bake until soft. 

3. Coat both sides of the bread with the mayo mixture and the mustard. 

4. Start assembling your burger- Place a slice of cheese on the bottom bun. Add the burger, ham, pickles, and second piece of cheese. Place the bun on top. 

5. Place your burger on a pannini press. If you do not have a panini press handy like me, you can put the burger back in the skillet and place a cast iron pan on top, grill one side, and then flip it over and do the other. 

I tried the tinfoil method that Bobby suggested - wrapping the burger in tinfoil and then placing it in the pan with the skillet or pot on top to press the sandwich - and I found that it made the burger soggy. The tinfoil created steam and resulted in a messy (not crunchy) burger. 

None the less it was absolutely delicious! It had all the great flavors of a Cuban sandwich in a burger. And it was approved by my new buddy George! (He thought we were sharing)

My first burger in my "Cook Through the Book" Challenge was delicious! 

I can not wait to try the next one this weekend

xo. Casey