St. Paddy's Day Celebrations

Hi-Ho Nesters!!!
I know it's been awhile, but, I'm back with a special, beef lover's, St. Patrick's Day Special!!!

Fun times started over the weekend.

My Irish blood was boiling, so we decided to make it a culinary celebration!

Saturday it was a traditional boiled Irish supper.

We got to boiling some Chuck Steak in the slow cooker with: Guinness, Peppercorns, and a few Bay Leaves...


Later we added Potatoes, Cabbage, and Carrots. Mmmm....

But, the best was saved for the actual night of St. Patrick's Day.
addROC made a ridiculous Guinness marinated steak.
Which was cooked to perfection.



Then, we moved on to a traditional Irish treat that is so delectable and delightful, that its consumption with a beverage like Guinness or Jameson is ABSOLUTELY necessary, and really, just plain common sense.

The One...The Only....


IRISH SODA BREAD!!!!

We ate, drank, and were oh-so-very-merry.
Just as St. Paddy would have wanted it himself.

Cheers to the Irish!
Erin Go Bragh!!!

Let's Get Crafty: DIY Sno-Globes

December 1st has come and gone, and, while I may not have pulled out my reindeer costume just yet, I'm at least trying to be festive.

So, in preparation for The Diamond's tree trimming party, addROC and I nestled down to get to work on ornaments.

I decided to make a sno-globe.

This is VERY easy, and while they do look a teensy-weensy bit more ghetto than, say, a store bought globe, they're still fun and seasonal!

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:


1-10 Small Double Sided Pictures or Drawings
Light Corn Syrup
Scotch Tape or Clear Packing Tape
A Globe Shape Jar (Goya Honey Jars, in your ethnic food section, work great)
Sparkles or Glitter
Water

1. Make your pictures waterproof by taping them back to back. Make sure that you get a good seal, and push out any air bubbles that may form. Do this at least twice to ensure that no water gets in and water logs your shit.
2. Place your waterproofed images into your jar.
3. Add an 1/8-1/4 of a TSP of glitter or sparkles. You can always add more if you're one of those crazy glitter people.
4. Fill your jar to the 1/2 way point with corn syrup.
5. Fill remainder of jar with water.
6. Cover tightly, and shake.

Voila.
Your very own ghetto sno-globe.
It costs virtually nothing and they're great for any occasion.

So, go make one. And, if you do...send us your photo!

Email photos to: thebrooklynnester (at) gmail (dot) com.

And I'll post any globe that's sent!

And, join addROC and I tonight for some beer and fun at:

The Tree Lighting @ The Diamond
8PM Tonight!
43 Franklin St., Brooklyn, NY 11222
nr. Calyer St.
718-383-5030

Remember to bring a weather proof ornament and get a free beer! Woo-hoo!

Sobriety Checkpoint: Oktoberfest!

I may be The Brooklyn Nester, but, I don't limit myself to my lovely, "little" borough.
One of the things that's great about living in Williamsburg is that we're so close to the city.
And, while I may have been born and bred in Brooklyn, my very-first apartments and my very-first love affair with a neighborhood was with the East Village and Alphabet City!

So, with Oktoberfest upon us, we went out to celebrate addROC's heritage at Zum Schneider.
They had an awesome, not-to-mention super fun, authentic Bavarian band that played to the packed crowd as we guz-guz-guzzled our huge German beers!

And then the rest gets a little blurry...literally...


Why, you ask? Well, Zum Schneider has these beers on tap especially for Oktoberfest, mmmm:

Hacker Pschorr
Hofbräu
Ayinger
Schneider Wiesen Edelweiss

The band only has a few performances left so...go and check them out!

So, as always, from me to you, Prost!


Zum Schneider
Avenue C at 7th Street

Mös'l Franzi and the Ja Ja Ja's
Live Oompah Dates:
Tuesday, Oct. 9 6-9pm (TONIGHT!!!)
Saturday, Oct. 13 4-7pm
Sunday, Oct. 14 4-7pm

Sobriety Checkpoint: The Diamond

A Diamond in the rough indeed.

This is my new favorite place.
addROC and I have been riding our bicycles over to this spot in good ol' Greenpoint for a few weeks now and it seems that I just can't get enough!

This bar is strictly wine and beer. But, don't write it off.
The beer selection is absolutely divine. With lesser known taps and bottles that are ever changing and soooo delicious.

My new favorite beer is one of their bottled selections: ALBA Scots Pine Ale. It's full bodied, and delicious! And addROC noted that it has the slight aroma and flavor of Twizzlers^©!
So different. So good.

Here are some beers that owners Dave and Alex expect to be pouring this season:
Victory Uncle Teddy Bitter
Bluepoint Hoptical Illusion I.P.A.
Defiant Farmhouse Ale
Avery Ellie's Brown
Einbecker Schwartzbier
Abbaye des Rocs Triple Imperiale
Schneider Weisse
Reissdorf Koelsch
Ichtegems Grand Cru
Wintercoat Double Hop
Schneider Wiesen Edel Weisse.


If you're looking to hang out in the sun for what good weather we have left, they have a lovely outdoor area equipped with picnic tables.
And inside they've got a pimpin' shuffleboard. In fact, they're having a shuffleboard tournament this coming Sunday, September 30th.

If you're a local, you'd be a fool not to stop by.
If you're not from the area, I think you may find it's worth the trip!


So, from me to you, cheers...maybe I'll see you there!

The Diamond
43 Franklin St., Brooklyn, NY 11222
nr. Calyer St.
718-383-5030

Sobriety Checkpoint: LaBatt Blue, "BIG BLUE"

LaBatt Blue is BY FAR, one of our most favorite beers here at The Brooklyn Nester.

Sure, it's not as classy as some, but the ol' Maple Leaf has carried us through many an evening. For an import, it's fuckin' cheap, and while it may be the "Bud of Canada", it sure does taste better.

So, when I came home after a hard day's work to find that addROC had found the infamous "Big Blue" at The MET supermarket (on Driggs Ave. and Russell St. in Greenpoint) for just 99 cents(!!!), I was ecstatic.

The "Big Blue" is a pint of cold, hard, Canadian pleasure.

Run, don't walk, to The MET Nesters...we've never seen LaBatt there before, and one never knows when the beer gnomes will pull it all from the shelves...

...always guzzling in their little, red, hipster-hats!!!

Sobriety Checkpoint: Brooklyn Local 1

If you are in fact a Brooklyn Nester, then you may take pride in great Brooklyn brews. I know, I do.

If you drink, especially in Brooklyn, you've heard of Brooklyn Brewery. But, are your taste buds acquainted with her latest delight, Brooklyn Local 1?

If not, go out and buy a bottle, right now. Here at The Brooklyn Nester we say "Yea!" to Belgian style with 'Burgian birthrights. This bottle was great with dinner and made me feel classier than I actually am for just $8.95.

Brooklyn Brewery has an awesome set up on N.11th Street in Williamsburg. You should totally go and check out their Friday night happy hour. It won't break the bank at $3 a beer and you can get your fill of Brooklyn flava.

Don't trust that this beer is as classy as I claim? Don't take my word for it. Even the snooty-poots at the NYTimes food section agree!

Enjoy bitches!

Sobriety Checkpoint: Zywiec, the Champagne of Greenpoint

If you're a Greenpointer, this isn't news to you. But, for those of you who hail from other parts of this fat-bottomed borough and beyond, you may not know about this Polish delicacy.

Zywiec, pronounced je-wetz, seems to be Poland's favorite beer and after living on the Greenpoint/Williamsburg border for quite some time, this tasty brew has fast become a staple in my fridge as well.

In Greenpoint, depending on where you go to purchase your booze, sometimes it's difficult to find anything other than Polish beer, unless you want to tote home that 6-er of Bud tall-boys, again.

So, we started experimenting with the Polish flava, and found that, more times than not, it's a rewarding experience. Other Polish brews that I've tried and see regularly around town are: Okocim, EB, Piast, and Tyskie. And, that's just to mention a few. But, when in doubt, go with Zywiec. It's the beer that, from what I can see in da 'hood, is purchased the most by Polish drinkers.

So, while you're roasting away today, throw back some authentic Polish goodness.

Oh, I should mention that Zywiec's cheaper than Paris Hilton after a few Cosmos. Nice.