Pork empanadas.

I couldn't decide which picture sucked less. They both have their minute pros. This dough, courtesy of Elise, is crazy. 1:1:3 of creme cheese, butter, and flour. The pork was some leftover from some braising and marinated in some of leftover salsa I was trying to get rid of.

The egg wash just before baking helped give it that glossy, buttery finish, as if it needed to look more buttery. The pastry ended up varied, depending on the thickness of how I rolled the dough. But 18 minutes at 375 does it about right.

I also fiddled with the pork a bit. I rarely add salt to things, so I ended up adding a bit of salt and pepper to the marinated pork to end a bit more punch. That went into the second batch, blended with some cheese.

I was out of sour cream, so I used Greek yogurt and jalapeños instead; it worked quite well.

Addendum: These freeze well.

Zen Green Tea Liquer.

This is also long overdue. I had been putting this off until I could find a supplier up here. Which I did, despite being way overpriced. It's something use scarcely anyway. It's a sweet liquer blended with matcha. FOr not being into sweet drinks, I like it quite well. It imparts a smooth, soothing finish to a lot of drinks and adds a nice color to clear drinks. I've had it with tonic, gin, both, and by itself. It's worth the money a sa novelty at the very least.

Finca El Retiro Malbec.

This was weird. Very wet for a red, almost to the point of almost being sour. Thin and grape juicy. Double meh. The most curious thing was a few sips I left in a cup over night. Instead of drying up and leaving a nice snowflake in the morning, there was still fluid, thick, and smelling strong. I did not find it appetizing.

Red Lava Syrah.

Way overdue. I remember nothing. Good thing? The list price is more than I'd pay for it.

CB Chistmas Ale.

I was originally gonig to pick up a 19th Hole if they had it. Which they did. But then I saw this. And I'm a sucker for new beers.

I found it to be quite spicy and refreshing, hearty even. It always nice when a cold brew can pull off a warm feeling. Against mulled wine and egg nog, I think it'd find good company.

CB Canandaigua Ale.

Another growler. I'll just say it wasn't as impressive at the 19th Hole.

Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout.

This one was full of surprises. Apparently, it's an Imperial Stout at 10%ABV. Now, my experience with chocolate beers has been quite mixed, but I have to say that this is quite good. I once read somewhere that as you drink a wider variety of beers, Guinness looses its appeal. This one drives the nail in the Extra Stout's coffin.

I'd comment on the color, but it's completely opaque, even held up to the light. The texture is thick but not sticky; I did feel like I was pouring chocolate milk. The head was a nice mocha color and creamy. The chocolate comes through clean and strong but overall left me with a sticky feeling in the mouth like after drinking something sweet.

It's a seasonal, if you can call October through March seasonal, so I'll stock up a bit. But I look forward to Brooklyn's other offerings.