I’m not going to waste your time with beers I don’t like – unless I spend a lot on it and the review proves it was a business expense. Big Swell IPA from Maui Brewing Company is one of my favorite semi-nationally available IPAs. Bell’s Two Hearted and Cigar City Jai Alai are nice too, but today, we’re talking Big Swell.

Big Swell is dry-hopped, meaning hops are added after brewing/boiling. That helps cut down on the bitterness that makes some folks hate IPAs. It’s still very “green”, but more delicate. Wine drinkers talk about notes of leather or cherry. Big Swell tastes tropical – orange, pineapple, peach. It also has the malt sweetness to take off the edge. If you absolutely hate IPAs, you might not like this one either, but it’s very balanced between grassy resin and barley. At 6.2 percent alcohol by volume, Big Swell can also sneak up on you. By comparison, Bud Light is about 4.2.

I’ve visited Maui Brewing Company’s production brewery/restaurant in the Kihei area of Maui and would recommend the tour. The brewery there is “off the grid,” 100-percent powered by solar and biodiesel. They even toast the coconut for their Hiwa Porter on site. On the other hand, the other national Hawaiian beer brand, Kona Brewing, is produced in Hawaii, Oregon, Washington state, and New Hampshire.

Remember Blessid Union of Souls and “I Believe?”

I’m linking out to the version of the “I Believe” video that uses the original album track. Until writing this, I didn’t realize until there was a radio edit. That version has the lyric “One day, daddy’s gonna find out she’s in love with a brother from the streets.” On the album, it’s not “brother.”

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I’m inside. You’re probably inside too. Cooking something will help pass the time, but you’ve already got a bunch of leftovers, bits of that teriyaki chicken or green beans. If you’ve also got some potatoes, or cooked potatoes to mash, we’re halfway to something new.

Really, this is more a method than a recipe. That photo up there is bubble and squeak, the British way to use up leftover potatoes and leftover cooked cabbage. Mine also has some onion and a fried egg on top because the way you make any brown meal look Instagrammable is put an egg on it.

Choose leftovers that you’d put on the plate together. Mushrooms and steak, chicken nuggets and mac and cheese, Brussels sprouts and ham… Dice your leftovers and add the mashed potatoes until you get something that kinda holds together. You don’t want it soupy, but you don’t want it too crumby either. Put butter in a pan – I prefer non-stick – and once it’s melted, add your leftovers and mash. Stir it a few times over medium until it’s all warmed up.

Then, flatten it down a bit, lower the temp, and try for a brown crust on the bottom. Jiggle the pan so it doesn’t get stuck. If your pan is small, like mine, you’re get a round that you can flip out onto a plate. If the pan’s larger, just keep it all in one area and flip in pieces. If you’re worried about burning, flipping it in chunks will also help you keep an eye on that. Then, eat it!

Next time, maybe we’ll go over how a frittata is basically an open-faced omelet and a great way to use up leftover lasagna or even Caesar salad.

I’m a lyrics guy, but the right melody can travel the globe.

In 1985, Falco’s “Rock Me Amadeus” went to #1 in the USA, even though most of the lyrics are in German. Four years earlier, Falco’s “Der Kommissar,” also in German, was a smash across Europe, but stalled at #72 in the states.
My high school Deutsch ist vergessen, but “Der Kommissar” tells the story of a woman who really likes cocaine, has friends who died from cocaine, and is getting hassled by a police “commissioner.”

Then, in 1982, British band After the Fire rewrote “Der Kommissar” with English lyrics that tell the same basic story. Cocaine is still “sugar” and “snow.” This time, the song went to #5 in America.

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I’ve now lived longer in Orlando than anywhere else, and it’s good to see performers who’ve passed through Central Florida being successful in show business. The theme parks bring in a lot of talented people.

Aasif Mandvi is one of those who worked in Orlando for a bit. He’s currently on the CBS supernatural drama “Evil.” It’s got to be tricky shooting on location in NYC when a bus could drive by at any minute, promoting the show you’re in the middle of making.

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Told you last night’s episode of @evilcbs was going to be bananas 🍌 What’d you think of the show?

A post shared by Aasif Mandvi (@aasif) on Nov 8, 2019 at 7:43am PST

Mandvi is also playing the dad on Disney Junior’s animated “Mira, Royal Detective” and you probably remember him as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” in the Jon Stewart years.

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