Brewery Review / Restaurant Review - St. Nicholas Brewing Co. DuQuoin, IL

The sunny weather made our visit to St. Nicholas Brewing Co. really lovely today. The brewery is located about a 20 minute drive from Carbondale, in Du Quoin, IL. It is just off the main strip, and is located around the corner from Doc Z's Fitness, which I thought was a perfect fit. 

St. Nicholas Brewing Co. is all brick, inside and out! They opened in August of 2014s, and the building was built in the 1880s, as a hotel. They did a great job renovating the space, opening it up to let lots of light in, creating a very inviting atmosphere, and keeping lots of original and unique details of the old hotel. This place is definitely worth checking out if you are in the area.

I liked the Blonde Ale. Super light and not too hoppy. We also tried the Cadence Porter and it's apparently coming home in a growler next time. Only $8 growler refills! 

 We actually all wound up getting burgers! Mine, pictured below, was their Basic Burger on a Pretzel Bun, with a side of Mac N Cheese. YUM! The burger was a teeny bit greasy/drippy, but other than that it tasted really good. The other 2 burgers weren't though. My Mac N Cheese was definitely creamy and had a kind of lighter taste. The potato chip crumble topping was unique and good.

We also got the St. Nick Sweet & Spicy Burger (with parmesan, jalapeño, pineapple, and pickle with sweet BBQ sauce), and the Mac & Cheese Burger (topped with Mac!).

Here are the Cadence Porters.

 And, the Blonde Ale. 

 The Brewing Viewing Area

 And, the old brick lined every wall of this airy space. 

 The entrance was very tall, and had this red barn wood at top. Brewing area was on the right.

 So, make sure to check out St. Nicholas Brewing Co. at 12 S. Oak Street in Du Quoin, IL. 

Peanut Butter - Coconut Oil - Oat Cookies

I found a fun app a while back and love it! Steller is really a great way to share any kind of story. I find it especially good for sharing recipes! It is a way to share a multiple page photo story, and you can add attractive text to images AND videos! It's really fun and I urge you to check it out. 

Here is my Steller Story about making Coconut Oil Peanut Butter Cookies! There are more photos to see, so check out the rest (and the recipe!!!) on Steller!

Smoothie Time! Mixed Berry and Banana Smoothie

I have been wanting to jump into making smoothies for a long time now, and here is my first attempt! I learned a little bit and this tasted really, really good. Slightly Earthy, but in time I am sure these will only get better. I am trying to incorporate as many fresh ingredients into my days as possible. 

INGREDIENTS for about 2 smoothies:

1 Cup Ice - (blend this in the blender before adding fruits and spinach)

1/3 pint blueberries

1/3 C. raspberries

2 bananas - cut into pieces

A small hand full of spinach, chopped or ripped into small pieces

1/4 - 1/2 Cup Pineapple Juice (or any juice you have on hand)

HOW TO:

Crush ice in blender. Add fruits and spinach, and blend for about 30 seconds, or until completely combined. If you want a thinner smoothie, just add more juice. 

This smoothie was very tasty. You get a nice taste of each of the ingredients, without tasting the spinach too much :) I am sure you could use frozen fruit as well. 

I hope you enjoy these, they kept me more full than expected!

What's For Dinner? Onion Ring Chicken Fingers + Caesar Salad

Let's start with the Caesar Salad! Check out my favorite ingredients, below.

CAESAR SALAD INGREDIENTS:

Organic Romaine Lettuce, Marzetti Supreme Caesar Dressing, Hormel Bacon Pieces, NewYorkBrand Texas Toast Cheese & Garlic Croutons and Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese. This has been my go-to recipe for a few years now, and it's so good! Mix all ingredients, adding dressing last. Top with a little bit more cheese. 

TIP:

Use the dressing sparingly at first, stir salad with a large spoon, and then see if you need more. The dressing is pretty strong, so you don't need much!

Next, is one of my favorite new recipes! Onion Ring Chicken Fingers. These are good beside the salad, or cut up inside of the salad. 

ONION RING CHICKEN FINGERS INGREDIENTS:

6-8 Organic Chicken Tenders

1/4 Cup Dijon Mustard (I mixed two types together)

1 1/2 Cups Regular Bread Crumbs

1/2 Cup French's Fried Onion Pieces (That's why I call them Onion Ring Chicken Fingers)

And to season breadcrumbs, I added a bit of garlic powder, salt, and pepper. 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.) Preheat oven to 450F. Spray metal rack with non-stick spray (I use the rack from my toaster oven). Set the rack onto a foil-lined baking sheet.

2.) In one shallow baking dish or Pyrex, add mustard. In a second dish, mix bread crumbs,  seasonings, and French's onions. 

3.) Prep the chicken. Dip each side of the chicken into mustard. You want just a light coating of mustard, or the breading will end up squishy instead of crisp, so use a fork to remove any excess. 

5.) Next, coat each side of the chicken tenders in the breadcrumb mixture. Transfer to metal rack. Try to leave a little bit of room between each piece.

4.) Bake 12-15 minutes, flip and then bake another 5 minutes or until done and crispy, with no pink inside of the chicken. 

Serve with ketchup or BBQ sauce. These are so good! 

The Best Butter Brownies Recipe

These brownies are amazing! They're so much better than box mix brownies, I urge you to switch to a recipe like this one.

YUMMY BUTTER BROWNIES INGREDIENTS:

10 tbsp. butter - melted

14 tbsp. chocolate chips

1 C. Sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1Tbsp cocoa powder

2 eggs

2 Tbsp warm water

1 tsp hot chocolate mix

2/3 C. Flour

1 - 1 1/2 C. Walnuts

10 (8oz) Wide Mouth Mason Jars

Bake at 375 for 28-30 minutes.

DIRECTIONS: 

Create a double boiler setup for the butter and chocolate chips. Put a few inches of water in a small saucepan, and place a 2 C. Pyrex measuring cup into the water. Add your butter, and turn on the stove to medium heat to begin boiling the water. This will allow the ingredients to melt slowly. Once the butter is almost completely melted, add the chocolate chips and begin to stir. Once melted, mix until well incorporated, and remove from heat.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter and chocolate chip mixture, vanilla, salt, cocoa powder, eggs, water, hot chocolate mix, and flour. Stir until combined well and batter is smooth.

Put 1 to 1 1/2 C. walnuts and crush them with a measuring cup. 

Add walnuts to the other ingredients, and stir until combined. 

Now, prep your jars. Spray cooking spray on them, and wipe off any excess spray from the tops and outsides of jars. Using a regular tablespoon, carefully scoop batter into jars, (a little over half full), making sure to avoid getting batter on tops of jars. Add a whole walnut to each jar just for a special touch. 

Bake at 375 for about 28-30 minutes. More time may be needed, so once a toothpick is inserted and comes out batter-free, your brownies are done! Be careful when handling the jars, as they are very hot.

Fall Leaf Rice Krispy Treats / Made the REAL way!

Ever wonder why your rice krispy treats don't turn out soft, rich, buttery, and super tasty? You may be using the wrong method. Here, I will show you the old-fashioned way to make Rice Krispy Treats on the stovetop - with real butter.

I love how these little leaf treat pops turned out! They could be customized to just about any holiday or party theme, too! Feel free to add food coloring to them to really customize them in a new, unique way. 

Here we go!

Ingredients:

- 3 Tbsp. REAL Butter (Organic Preferred)

- 6 C. Rice Krispy Cereal 

- 6 C. Marshmallows

- Sprinkles in Seasonal Colors

(Not Pictured)

- Parchment Paper

- Baking Dish 

- Smaller Wooden Skewers

- Leaf-Shaped Cookie Cutters

Instructions: 

In a large pot, melt butter over low heat (slower is better, so the butter doesn't burn.). 

As that melts, add marshmallows. Continue to melt the ingredients over low-medium heat. 

Make sure to watch the mixture so it doesn't brown. 

The mixture should look a little something like this right before you add the cereal.

Add the cereal and mix well to combine all of the ingredients. 

Next, transfer the cereal mixture to the pan. 

1.) Spray baking dish with non-stick spray or butter. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit inside the dish.

2.) Pour in Gooey Cereal Mix.

3.) Use another piece of parchment paper to pat down the cereal mixture flat into the dish. This will keep your hands WAY less messy.

Once cereal has cooled, remove the cereal and parchment paper, and put it onto a cutting board.

Use your favorite leaf-shaped cookie cutter, press firmly down into treats. You can use a bit of non-stick spray on the cookie cutter if the treats stick. Carefully insert small skewer sticks into the leaves. Make sure you don't jab your hand...

I got about 12-13 leaves out of my batch, and had lots of pieces left over to devour :)

Enjoy! Happy Fall!

One Pot - Super Easy and Tasty Pesto Pasta Recipe

Pasta couldn't get much easier than this. It's nice and light, and super fresh. 

Here are most of the ingredients. You will also need grated parmesan cheese, 2-3 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (or your favorite), as well as some salt and Italian seasoning, to taste. 

How To Make This Super Easy Pesto Pasta:

Boil noodles as directed. Strain and return to original pot. Scoop about 3-4 tablespoons of Pesto onto noodles. Also add your olive oil, Italian seasoning, and salt. Stir together, combining well. Turn the heat back on to low. Add mozzarella pearls, and stir. They should melt pretty quickly. Once they're melted, sprinkle past with parmesan cheese, and stir once more. 

Serve topped with more parmesan cheese and chopped tomatoes. 

Enjoy! 

Ingredients Via: Pesto / Mozzarella Cheese Pearls