We had to squeeze in one last outing with Faith + Tate before we head out of town – a visit to Market Street Wine Shop for a taste of Winter Warmers!
We tried a nice spectrum hosted by Mr. Marc Smith.
Notes
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Starr Hill’s The Gift – Grainy, chewy. I liked it. Wish it had been a bit stronger.
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Weeping Radish’s Doppelbock Christmas Beer – Roasty! Liked it.
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Highland Cold Mountain Winter Ale – Va-va-vanilla! Dark, roasty, slightly sweet malts, high alcohol – my kinda beer!
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Kona Pipeline Porter – The most COFFEE-y beer I have ever had!! If you like coffee, you’ll love this one. Very balanced too.
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Legend Chocolate Porter – The most CHOCOLATE-y beer I have ever had! They must have been tasting the flavors tonight. It had a bittersweet chocolate flavor of cocoa rather than sweet milk or dark chocolate. Loved this one the most!
Matt and I biked (in the cold!! Turtleneck in tow!!) to Faith + Tate’s and then we walked the mile downtown and back. It was quite cold! But we were bundled and the activity was as warming as the beers.
We were invited to stay for dinner, but we had collard greens to use up and have to be in bed early tonight before our flight tomorrow, so we took a rain check for next week.
This dinner was scrimped together and was outstanding!
Twin Oaks Tofu! This was the Spicy Thai and we both loved it. [Please note all the tofu I’ll be eating for at least 10 dinners was a gift from Twin Oaks, but please also note that I loved the tofu before I knew the company!]
Check out those embedded jewels of flavor!
We seared the tofu and topped it with the collards to steam. Honestly, Matt did this part and I’m not sure what seasonings he added, but I think soy sauce was involved, and the tofu drippings and Garlic Gold nuggets for sure.
The tofu was served over a bed of millet + quinoa (about 4:1). Loved the multicolor! Topped with tomatoes and salted peanuts.
I topped my mountain of collards with the Tomato Cinnamon Clove preserves in my OpenSky shop. These preserves take a special dish to use – the word tomato scares me for breakfast meals and not all savory meals are good with a jam. But tonight I thinned it a bit with water and heated it in the microwave and made a sauce. It rocked!! Every time I use these they surprise me. All of the Perfect Pear line has been pleasantly wonderful!
Tucking myself into bed with a book. See ya in the AM!
Heather (Heather's Dish) says
ok, i ADORE that napkin! such a beautiful color and it actually compliments the food 🙂
Estela @ Weekly Bite says
I love that you all do beer/wine tastings almost every day! How fun!
Maria says
I agree!!! I want to live where you live! It seems so quaint, I love it!
Melissa @ I Never Imagined says
Mmmm your millet and quinoa looks fab!!
Angie @ Musings of a Violet Monkey says
I’m hunting down some Twin Oaks tofu tomorrow! Love that they have so many flavors!
Have a safe trip tomorrow!
~
Stacy @ Every Little Thing says
yay for a way to use garlic gold nuggets! and i really liked the starr hill i had when i was in c’ville!
Gabriela @ Une Vie Saine says
The presentation of your dinner is so pretty- I love the two neat piles. Like something you’d get from a restaurant!!
Jess @ atasteofconfidence says
Love hearing your notes about the beers!
Amanda (The Nutritionist Reviews) says
Your tasting looks like fun! So cool to get to try so many flavors of beer.
Kathy W. says
Those TCC preserves would probably be great on a sharp cheddar sandwich!
Blog is the New Black says
THat is one huge hunka ‘fu!
Amy K. @ onehealthypeanut says
Such a creative meal! I love twin oaks tofu! So glad to now know the backstory!!
Kiran says
Oh so yummy! Good night 🙂
Kara says
So yummy looking. Just out of curiosity, how are the Twin Oaks tofu nutrition stats compared to regular? I assume they would be similar, since it seems they just add seasonings, but I just wanted to check.
Kath says
I imagine they are comparable to the extra firm and firm kinds. The flavors are mostly herbs and spices and aren’t calorie dense.
Kate (What Kate is Cooking) says
I’m jealous of all the tofu you have!
Heidi - apples under my bed says
Such a delicious dinner!! Thanks for the tofu inspiration.
Heidi xo
[email protected] says
That dinner looks top notch!
Namaste Gurl says
Dinner looks amazing, miss Kath! Now if they just sold Twin Oaks around here… 🙂
Katy (The Singing Runner) says
Looks like a great and tasty day! 🙂
Amy at TheSceneFromMe says
I need to try tofu…unfortunately (I think) I haven’t ever tried it. Looking for good ways to fix it!
[email protected] says
omg I want to try that tofu soooo bad!!! Looks amazing!!!
Jessica @ The Process of Healing says
i LOVE sweet/savory foods like that jam!
Alaina says
I’m just starting to get into tofu. I need to expand to the flavored ones! Have a safe trip tomorrow!
Camille says
That is some really nice looking tofu! It looks so… real.
Michelle (The Runner's Plate) says
Cool! I’ve never seen flavors added to tofu before!
Hannah says
I can’t wait to hear what you think about those flavoured tofus! I could never pick a favourite, EVER.
Faith @ She Kneads says
I’m not going to lie…. as much as I love to cook and flavor things myself, I love the pre-flavored tofu 😉
J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says
I can’t wait to try that tofu! It looks so good. 🙂
Sarah (Running to Slow Things Down) says
I need to introduce collards into my life!
I’m a kale girl, and sometimes I get stuck in a rut. Collards are so healthy and vibrant though and would make a nice change of pace. Adding them to my grocery list. 😀
ash (a well spiced life) says
MMM! Legend’s beer is one of my favorites! If you’re in RVA, it’s definitely worth a stop- more for the beer – the food’s not too bad either 😉
Lauren says
That tofu looks sensational. Have you tried it raw? I’m sure it would be fantastic without even being cooked.
Kath says
yeah – off the cutting board it was good!
Jenn from Much to My Delight says
Your meal combinations are so creative! Why haven’t I thought to thin preserves as a sauce? That sounds easy and yummy. I want to learn to like tofu, but I’ve never had it prepared in a way that I found appealing. Perhaps if I venture back here more often, I could be swayed to try again!
Brandee says
Yeah for Kona Brewing Company!! I live on Oahu and don’t see it very often on the mainland. They have a limited release, Wailua Wheat, that is really good! It has a little passion fruit mixed in but not too sweet!
[email protected] says
I like the napkin is it PB?
Laura says
Random! My husband and I just tried the Kona’s Pipeline Porter and we loved it! We’re both dark beer fans. Keep up the great bloggin’.
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin says
I’m not a beer lover, but I’m intrigued by those flavoured beers! I love anything vanilla flavoured!
Lauri (redheadrecipes.com) says
Kona Coffee beer is our ALL TIME Favorite Beer!! Its seasonal and can be kinda hard to find though 🙁