chew n’ brew.

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Fried Beer- a crispy creation that lets you bite into your brew.

You receive a plate of fried, ravioli-shaped dough with a dark filling. You take a bite expecting meat and are met with the flavor of warm, rich stout. Welcome to the world of fried beer.

Fried beer is the brainchild of Mark Zable, who debuted his creation at the Texas State Fair in 2010 and won that year’s Most Creative award (an honor also bestowed tofried Coke in 2006). Even for those who might be skeptical of the culinary appeal, one has to admire the logistics of deep-frying a liquid. It would be easy to simply fry a beer-based batter, but fried beer keeps the brew—Guinness, to be specific—intact while frying the pretzel dough around it. This is no easy task. It took Zable three years to figure it out. Although he won’t reveal the exact recipe, speed is key. Each nugget of beer-filled dough should be deep-fried for no more than 20 seconds.

And just how does it taste?  Zable says, “It tastes like you took a bite of hot pretzel dough and then took a drink of beer.”

Have your ID handy. You must be 21 or older to enjoy fried beer.

 

“food is vital, but also associated with enjoyment. ”    

– grethe berg

 

 

credits: David Berkowitz, Gastro Obscura 

secret forts.

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grandie j heads out

mohawk helmet on

backpack filled

with pokemon cards, water, hope

off on his bike to meet friends 

at their ‘secret fort’

in the neighborhood.

after he makes his grand exit

grandie b, left behind, shares –

“we all have the same secret fort, but no one knows it.”

 

“well i know the secret places. and the nests in hedge and tree;

at what doors are friendly faces, in what hearts are thoughts of me.”

-henry wadsworth longfellow

peaceful.

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 am – peaceful walk in the woods

 pm -peaceful protest on the streets

 

day 1, 99 to go.

“there may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest. “

-elie wiesel

100.

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until the election

think, read, listen, ask, talk, learn, know

make your choice

vote. 

 

“everything in your life is a reflection of a choice you have made.

if you want a different result, make a different choice.”

-jonathan kiavi

birch.

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standing in my yard

a child

 small among the birch trees

i would slowly peel away the bark

creating the most delicate pieces of beautiful paper

a gift from the tree

uncurled and waiting to be my papyrus.

 

“out of sight above the house, the mirror moon reflected the sun of a day not yet dawned,

shining the pale light of tomorrow on the yard and on the paper birches.”

 -dean koontz

 

 

 

image credit: white birch fragrance oil

pond.

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where sky and pond meet

“a field of water betrays the spirit that is in the air.

it is continually receiving new life and motion from above.

it is intermediate in its nature between land and sky.”

  • henry david thoreau

 

 

matthaei botanical gardens, ann arbor, michigan, usa – summer 2020

pollinating.

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summer bursts open in the field

 

“earth is a flower and it’s pollinating.”

-neil young

bolder.

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a tiny toad crossed paths with grandie f

i wonder which one was more excited to meet the other.

 

“the smaller the creature, the bolder its spirit.”

-suzy kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun

reckless abandon.

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happy national junk food day!

how will you celebrate this special occasion?

if i had to choose, i’d go with

flamin’ hot cheetos, chips n’ dip, and cadbury carmello bar

care to share your favorites?

“foodstuffs absolved of the obligation to provide vitamins and minerals cavorted with reckless abandon.”

-michael lewis

get on the bus.

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what an adventure it would be to travel on the ‘make america kind again’ bus

 

“human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the figure of a free people.

a nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.”

-Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States