Brew Hub – Lakeland, FL

 

Last week we had some drinks at Brew Hub for the first time.  It is a brewery in Lakeland that partners with craft beer companies to help with production when their demand goes beyond what their facilities can handle.  They are brewed to exact specifications to ensure the same quality as the ones from the normal facilities.

 

For instance, Cigar City’s beer has expanded to Carnival cruises and has become so popular at bars and restaurants that their local brewery couldn’t keep up.  They enlisted Brew Hub to brew extra of their most popular beers – Jai Alai, Invasion, and Florida Cracker. 

 

 

You can see the large beer-bottle shaped cutout in the building while driving by on I-4.  We were there on a Wednesday, so it was pretty quiet, but more people started showing up as we headed out.  I can see it getting pretty busy on the weekends. 

It was nice to try a variety of craft beers all at one bar.  And since they’re brewed right on site, they were super fresh.  We ordered flights as always to sample a bit of everything.  The OBP Toasted Coconut Porter was so delicious I ended up getting a glass of that afterwards (it had just been brewed that day, and that batch was extra coconut-y). 

 

We also ordered some of their pretzels with beer cheese – warm, freshly baked pretzels with a creamy cheesy dip.  I can’t believe it, but we ate them so quickly that we got another round of the pretzels (they’re almost too good to share…) 

 

It’s definitely worth stopping by to check out this place – it’s a really great concept! 

Brew Hub is located at 3900 Frontage Rd S, Lakeland, FL 33815 and is open 12pm – 12am Thursdays – Saturdays, 12pm – 9pm Sunday & Wednesdays, and closed Mondays & Tuesdays.   

Fred’s Market Restaurant – Plant City, FL

 

Last week we spent the afternoon at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales.  It’s a 250 acre historic garden with a tall “singing tower” with a concert twice a day on carillon bells.  The grounds are vast and surrounded by orange groves. 

 

 

On the way there we stopped for breakfast at Fred’s Market Restaurant in Plant City.  It’s a family-run business specializing in Southern comfort food – and over the last several years, they’ve expanded to open more locations in Lakeland, Bartow, Winter Haven, and Riverview. 

The atmosphere is laid back and inviting.  The patio is lined with rocking chairs, and the employees wore shirts that said “Manners and Mashed Potatoes” on the back. 

There is an option to order an a la carte menu, but their main focus is on the buffet.  There was a huge assortment – including various casserole dishes, fried green tomatoes, bacon, sausage, fried chicken, biscuits with gravy, and pretty much everything you could imagine in a Southern breakfast.  They do warn that they charge extra for excessive waste or over-consumption (3+ heaping plates). I had two plates and didn’t end up eating again until dinnertime.     

I’m not normally a fan of buffet restaurants, but you can tell they take pride in their food.  The fried chicken was the best part – it was super crispy outside, moist inside, and wasn’t greasy at all. 

 

Later in the day, they have lunch and dinner buffets with other traditional comfort foods like fried catfish, skillet cornbread, and smoked ribs.  Lance liked his breakfast so much he would have gone back for dinner that same night if I’d have let him. 

Fred’s Market Restaurant has several locations.  The one we visited was at 1401 West Dr. MLK Jr. Blvd, Plant City, FL 33563 and is open 6am – 9pm Monday – Saturday and 8am – 9pm on Sunday. 

Bacon Parmesan Snap Peas

 

When we made the mustard-roasted chicken a few weeks back, I made way too much of the crispy breadcrumb mixture.  So, for Super Bowl Sunday, I used the rest to make a healthier replacement for fried chicken to enjoy during the game. 

I asked Lance what sides he wanted, and he said Trader Joe’s Mac & Cheese and something green with bacon in it.  I’m not usually a fan of most frozen foods, but that Mac & Cheese tastes like a side you’d get at a restaurant.  It has four cheeses – Cheddar, Swiss, Havarti, and Gouda. 

I had already bought some snap peas, so I prepared those as our 2^nd side.  They turned out so delicious that I had to share the recipe! 

Bacon Parmesan Snap Peas (adapted from The Pig & Quill)

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs sugar snap peas
• Juice and zest of 2 lemons
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ T Dijon mustard (I used Trader Joe’s whole grain Dijon)
• ¼ cup grated parmesan
• 3 slices thick bacon
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

1. Cook your bacon and crumble into pieces.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Prepare another bowl with ice water. 

3. When water boils, add your snap peas, cooking until tender and bright green, only 30 – 60 seconds.  Immediately remove with a slotted spoon and add to the ice water so they stop cooking. 

4. In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, zest, and mustard.   Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.   

5. Drain the cooled peas and add to the dressing bowl.  Toss with parmesan cheese and crumbled bacon.  

Trader Joe’s Coconut Pancakes

It’s no secret that I love Trader Joe’s.  One of my most recent obsessions of theirs is the Toasted Coconut Pancake Mix.  It’s like a gourmet version of Bisquick without all the chemicals.  Plus, all you need to do is add water, so you don’t have to worry about having milk or eggs in the fridge to enjoy pancakes. 

 

If you don’t like coconut, you won’t like this mix.  It’s full of flavor.  You can easily enjoy them without anything added but the water, or you can choose any nut or fruit as a mixer.  Since I love coconut so much, I toasted up some extra and added almonds and pomegranates to mine.  It was the perfect tropical breakfast.  Maybe next time I’ll try adding a bit of pineapple for piña colada pancakes!