To start, there are seven main varieties of beer:

Ale- a type of beer brewed from malted barley and hops, using a type of yeast that is top-fermented. This type of beer is fermented quickly to give it a full-bodied, mildly sweet, and fruity taste.

Pale ale or Bitter- is a type of beer where the malt is dried with a fuel called coke. Is crisply carbonated and varies in strength and appearance.

Stout or Port- is a dark beer made of roasted malt or barley, hops, water, and yeast. Stouts tend to be stronger beers and come in many varieties.

Irish or Dry Stout- a black ale that is very dark in color and has the flavor of coffee. Guinness stout is an example.

Imperial stout- a brew invented for Catherine II of Russia in the 1700’s, it has a high alcohol content.

Baltic port- a port with a higher alcohol content, made for the Baltic region.

Milk Stout- is a brew with a small amount of lactose added to add sweetness and body to the beer. An example is Mackeson Stout.

Oatmeal stout- is a very bitter beer in which oats are added during the brewing process. This is a rare and hard to find drink.

Chocolate stout- is named for its dark color and chocolate flavor; some of these beers are brewed with small amounts of chocolate.

Coffee stout- is a dark malt brew with the flavor of coffee; some of these beers are brewed with coffee grounds.

Oyster stout- a stout made for drinking with oysters; some of these drinks are even made with a handful of oysters in the brew.

Lager-is a beer that is brewed and stored cold. Lager is also produced with a different yeast and fermenting method than ale. Lagers tend to be light in color, mild in taste, and highly alcoholic.

Wheat beer- is made from mostly wheat and some barely. Flavor is based on brewing method and style of beer.

Hybrid beers- are beers that don’t fit into other categories, like bottom fermented and steam beers.

Lambic- is a Belgian beer that is fermented with wild yeasts; this is an aromatic, cloudy, acidic beer. It comes in pure, gueuze, marz, faro, kriek, and fruit (raspberry, blackcurrant, peach, apple, pineapple, plum, banana, apricot, strawberry, grape, lemon, blueberry, and cloudberry) varieties.

An important part of beer flavor is how it is packaged. It can be kept in the following ways:

Draught- draught beer is kept in a keg pressured with nitrogen or carbon dioxide. Nitrogen pressure allows for a frothier creamier tasting beer with a “bigger head”.

Cask- cask beers are unfiltered and not pasteurized and are fed by gravity into the glass.

Bottle- bottled beers keep some yeast, which allow for some sediment.

Cans- cans are the most inexpensive form of packaging, and are typically only for cheaper beers. Although used for cheep beers, the can is best for preventing light from ruining the beer.

Temperature also affects the flavor of beer, cold beer is considered refreshing while warm beer is considered to allow a person to better taste the flavors of a full bodied beer.

Some beer brewing nations include Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium. the United States, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Australia, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Canada, Japan, China, and many others.

The myth of drinking a warm glass of milk before bedtime is no joke. Dairy foods include a good source of tryptophan which is the same thing in turkey. Your body converts tryptophan into melatonin and serotonin, which is linked to inducing sleep. Another food that has melatonin is cherries. Eating either fresh or dried cherries before bedtime may help you sleep better.

There are several other food remedies you can try. Eating a few crackers, a small bowl of cereal of oatmeal, half a bagel with some cream cheese or even peanut butter, a sliced apple with an ounce of cheese or even eight ounces of yogurt with some granola sprinkled on top will do the trick.

Bedtime snacks should be a small amount of food, and shouldn’t be more than 200 calories. If you are still finding it hard to get a good night sleep, there might be things you are doing or foods you want to avoid that could keep you from getting your beauty rest.

You want to avoid drinking lots of water. Excessive water intake means waking up more in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Spicy foods, particularly those who are prone to heartburn can keep you up all night tossing and turning. Protein is also something you do not want to consume too much of before bedtime due to the fact that protein contains amino acids which stimulate brain activity.

Eating too much can also play a large factor in falling asleep. Your body continues to breakdown your meal making it impossible for you to fall asleep easily. Caffeine, everyone knows is a stimulant and can amplify the activity of your nervous system, so stay away from anything that has caffeine before bedtime otherwise you will be staying up a lot longer than you anticipated.

If at all possible, you want to eat dinner three hours before your anticipated bedtime. These are merely suggestions, should you really have any problems falling asleep, you might consider seeing a doctor.

1. Use cream soups to make casseroles hearty- we have all seen the commercials about how cream of chicken soups can make easy casseroles, but have you tried any of these recipes? Cream soup recipes are wonderful comfort foods and go over well with kids. Try this recipe that was my favorite as a kid and that I now feed to my family.

Grandma’s Chicken Casserole

4 large chicken breasts cubed and browned

1 can cream of mushroom soup

½ cup of sour cream

1 tube of Ritz crackers crumbled

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine chicken and soup in a casserole dish. Crumble crackers on top. Cook at 350 for 20-30 mins.

1. Utilize leftovers- try using foods that you spent time cooking in a new way to make a quick and easy new meal.

Mom’s Leftover Stir-fry

Left over sliced beef (steak, roast beef, London broil, ect.)

Cubed celery

Can green beans

2 beef bullion cubes

2 cups white rice

Soy sauce to taste

Add celery, bouillon, and meat to 2 cups of water, bring to a boil. Add green beans and soy sauce. Serve over rice.

1. Use canned sauces- though making your own pasta sauces may be better, but to save time, you can find many good sauces on the shelf at your grocery store.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1 can spaghetti sauce

1 can cubed tomatoes

2 lb pasta

Parmesan cheese

Brown ground beef, add tomatoes and sauce, bring to a boil. Serve over pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

1. Keep it simple- simple foods from simple ingredients.

Tacos

1 box of taco shells (hard or soft)

1 pound of ground beef

Taco seasoning

2 large tomatoes

One head of lettuce (Or to save time, 1 bag of salad mix)

1 bag of shredded cheese

1 small container of sour cream

1 jar salsa

Brown ground beef in seasoning. Chop veggies. Dress your tacos anyway you like.

1. Eat more Chicken- chicken is healthy, inexpensive, and cooks quickly.

BBQ Chicken and Garlic Fries

4 boneless , skinless chicken breasts

3 potatoes

BBQ sauce

Olive oil

Garlic salt

Bake 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts at 375 for 25- 30 mins, 20 mins in slather in BBQ sauce.

Slice 3 potatoes long ways into fries. Sprinkle fries with garlic salt, bake at 375 for 10-15 mins in olive oil.