I enjoyed my last class with Williams-Sonoma for this year. They have more classes, but my schedule is too full for the remainder of the year.
more soon!
Free The Hops on top of Liberty House
Karen and I went to our first beer tasting put on by Free The Hops. In a single word, wow!
We met a lot of new people.
We met a lot of new beers, too!
We all have Danner Kline to thanks for heading Free The Hops.
Everyone was enjoying themselves.
The service was great and always with a smile.
Another happy customer!
You will find more pictures here.
Killing time at Metro Bistro & Market
Karen and I had time to kill and we were getting hungry as we drove around Birmingham, Alabama. We have already driven by the Liberty House which will be hosting the Free The Hops party later tonight. So, we decided to find something nearby and we had been looking for the Purple Onion, but the one that our GPS found had been closed down.
We decided to give The Metro Bistro & Market a try. We both had great sandwishes. Karen had a turkey while I had a B.L.T. Everyone was getting hungry smelling the bacon cook.
Once the staff determined we were from out of town, they filled us in on the local scene. We talked with the bartender and the cook, Josh and Mike respectively, about the Free The Hops, brewing beer, and our favorite Hefeweizen.
Alexander family reunion was great!
Everyone had fun and the food was great. After eating to the point of needing to pop, everyone headed over to where the Alexander homestead had been many years ago. You can see signs of where the cellar and corn crib was on the land. The old spring is still flowing, but it has gone undergrond for the most part.
We even got a group picture to boot.
Alexander Family Reunion
Karen and I will be heading to the reunion for her mother's side of the family. Karen sent out invitations to everyone to encourage a good turnout.
I think the weather is going to be great. Karen's co-worker, Larry Woellhart, smoked us a pork butt which should be super. Larry is known for his ability to smoke anything from catfish to pork butt to walnuts.
Knoxville Brewers’ Jam
Karen and I will be heading to the Knoxville Brewers' Jam for the first time. The Jam is always held on a weekend that does not conflict with a University of Tennessee football game. So this year the festival is October 15th. The festival runs from 2:00PM to 8:00PM.
We signed up for the whole package which includes hotel room and passes to the festival.
The following brewers will be present:
Tennessee
Downtown Grill & Brewery (Knoxville)
New Knoxville Brewing Company (Knoxville)
Smoky Mountain Brewery (Gatlinburg)
Blackstone Restaurant & Brewery (Nashville)
Depot Street Brewing Company (Jonesborough)
Tennessee Valley Homebrewers Club (Knoxville)
Calhoun's Microbrewery (Knoxville)
North Carolina
Highland Brewing Company (Asheville)
Carolina Beer and Beverage (Mooresville)
Olde Hickory Brewery (Asheville)
Mash House Restraurant & Brewery (Fayetteville)
Catawba Valley Brewing Company (Glen Alpine)
The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery (Farmville)
French Broad Brewing Company (Asheville)
Foothills Brewery (Winston-Salem)
Weeping Radish (Manteo)
Asheville Brewing Company (Asheville)
South Carolina
Thomas Creek Brewery (Greenville)
Kentucky
Browning's Brewery at Louisville Slugger Field (Louisville)
Alltech's Lexington Brewing Company (Lexington)
Georgia
Sweet Water Brewing Company (Atlanta)
Zuma Brewery (Atlanta)
Other Regional and Craft Brewers
Stone Brewing Company (San Diego, California)
Great Divide Brewing Company ( Denver, Coloradao)
Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales (Milton, Delaware)
Redhook Brewing Company (Portsmouth, New Hampshire)
Rogue Ales (Newport, Oregon)
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company (Chico, California)
Barrel House Brewing Company (Cincinatti, Ohio)
Flying Dog Brewery ( Denver, Colorado)
Blue Moon Brewing Company ( Denver, Colorado)
Some items are copyrighted by organizer of the festival.
Williams-Sonoma Cooking Class: Cooking for Couples
I enjoyed another class at Williams-Sonoma with this one presented by Chef Jason Daniel from Sazio and Starfish. Jason prepared Oven-Baked Brown Rice with Roast Tomatoes, Salmon Baked in Paper (Salmone in Cartoccio), and Watercress, Pear and Goat Cheese Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette.
Due to the limited time and equipment limitations, the rice dish had to be altered from being oven baked to cooked in a pot on the stove as more of a pilaf. And, it was under cooked a great deal. You could tell that the dish had potential.
The salad was great and it allowed the class to prepare the pears and pick watercress away from their stems. This dish was very good. And, I learned that the Huntsville area is one of the largest producers of watercress due to all the cold springs in the area.
The salmon presented nicely with the parchment paper. The fish was very moist. Karen and I have done this technique and it is very easy to do.
Some items are copyrighted by Williams-Sonoma.
Free The Hops
Karen and I have thrown our support behind the Alabamians for Specialty Beer. The organization goes by Free The Hops. The group “is a grassroots, citizen-driven movement solely committed to lifting the 6% alcohol by volume and 1 pint container limits for beer brewed or sold in Alabama.”
There are many beers sold that are not allowed in the state of Alabama due to these restrictions.
Williams-Sonoma Cooking Class: Founders Day
Owner/Chef James A. Hendricks of Le Bistro Du Soleil presented this class. Jay, as he called, prepared a Potato-Onion Tart, a Beef Bourguignonne, and Chateaubriand with Shiitake Mushroom Rub. All three were variations of recipes from Williams-Sonoma recipe site.
All of the recipes were great. The Potato-Onion Tart recipe made too much filling so you can increase the pastry or reduce the filling. With more pastry, you can make a larger tart or two tart in the called for tart pan.
The Chateaubriand with Shiitake Mushroom Rub was made with filet to speed up the cooking time.
The Beef Bourguignonne made with T-bones to speed up the cooking time.
Some items are copyrighted by Williams-Sonoma.
Visit to U.S. Space and Rocket Center
 Karen and I took Karen’s niece, Lea Moore, and her two boys, Aaron and Evan, to the U.S. Space and Rocker Center. We tried all of the simulators and games. |
We checked out all of the missiles and rockets in the “Rocket Park” including this upright Saturn IB. 
The U.S. Space and Rocker Center is in the process refurbishing the actual Saturn V on display at the back of the park. When I was six years old when my father took my brother and I to see the Apollo 17 launch. I can remember it like it was yesterday. I saw Space Shuttle mission STS-98 launch and others, but it pale in comparison to a Saturn V.
Aaron, in the foreground, and Evan are busy learning how to operate the Apollo Capsule trainer.
You can see a map of the museum clicking here.
You can find more photos clicking here.