Over here at ThingsMenBuy.com, we take care of ourselves and place fitness very high among our priorities. Yes, we love to spoil ourselves with all the cool gadgets, drinks, travel, and other ideas that we extensively cover on this site, but you can’t really enjoy the finer things in life if your body is a mess.
Some of us on the editorial team are more gym rats than others, but in general, we all watch over our fitness and try to stay active so we can earn all the more gluttonous things in life. We keep ourselves in great shape by following an exercise routine along with proper diet, nutrition, and supplements. Today’s post will discuss one such supplement we recommend.
How Testosterone Boosters Can Help
First of all, if you’re looking for a testosterone booster, I recommend going to www.besttestosteroneboosterguide.com where they go into full detail on the things you should consider and help you find the best one suited for you.
So what exactly does this do for you? If you didn’t know, testosterone is a hormone that is found in all males. It plays a crucial role in many wellness and growth functions of the body. It can help with the production of muscle mass, bone density, tissues, and even hair. On top of that, it plays a big role in the growth of reproductive tissues, if you catch my drift.
Also called “test boosters”, these boosting supplements help to increase the levels of testosterone in the body. Just like how protein and creatine are part of any workout warriors routine, you will often find that test boosters are in their supplemental diet as well. These should not be confused with steroids, as testosterone is a naturally occurring substance in the body, and this supplement just provides a boost to production.
When Should You Take It?
In terms of what age you could or should begin taking something like this, it is recommended that you wait until you are at least 25 years old. It is at that point in a man’s life where the natural production begins to slow down and could use a little bit of help from an outside source. The older that you get, the more likely you are to receive great benefits from taking it.
As for when specifically in the day to take it, that answers differ. Most recommend that if you are only taking it once daily, you should do it first thing in the morning. If you are dosing twice a day with this, then it is said to be best to take it one hour before your training session and then the second dose before bed.
In Conclusion
I’ve hardly scratched the surface here and will follow up later with more on what this supplement can do for you, but it should serve as a quick resource on the basics of test boosts. If you are in need of a little bit more help in the gym, it can do wonders for you like it has for us here.
With a trip up to Minnesota followed by a journey to Europe after the New Year, it was time to load up on Cold Weather Gear.
So, I went down to the famous Aventura Mall in Aventura, Florida, set out to find some designer brands. I went to Gucci, Saint Laurent, and all of the big department stores.
No luck.
I went into Louis Vuitton, which has a mega store there in the newly refurbished Mall. My girlfriend wanted the gloves and a scarf, while I just wanted a beanie and of course, some shoes.
Well, we had horse shit luck, and the store was unable to help us. Today I’ll tell you about it in this reveal video.
My Awful Experience With Louis Vuitton in Aventura Mall
I decided that a video was the best way to attack this, so without further ado, please enjoy my experience in this short clip.
The bottom line? Always try to do things for yourself!
Wow! Time flies doesn’t it?. The Thanksgiving holiday weekend just wrapped up. We’re barreling into December, Christmas and more holidays are on their way, and the end of the year will be here before we know it. All of which has nothing to do with this edition of The Craft Joint. This time around (and more no doubt as windy as I am) I’ll be talking about one craft brewer and their beers. It is my friends, Yuengling time.
Yuengling is American?!?!
In some places, Yuengling is very well known. In others, folks have no idea who or what Yuengling is or where they located. I’ve heard people say, upon hearing the name, that it is Chinese. It is not Chinese. Not even close, despite, to some ears, a Chinese sounding name. I have to laugh every time I think about that. Moving on.
I am a big fan of Yuengling. I like almost every beer they brew. I’ve toured their breweries in Pottsville, PA and in Tampa, FL. I’ve talked to employees of Yuengling and I have a friend who works for Yuengling. My enjoyment of Yuengling beer predates my brewery visits and any contact or friendly relationship with anyone connected with this American craft beer company. There’s my “full disclosure”, for what it is worth.
I used to spend quite a bit of time in Eastern Pennsylvania and that is where I discovered Yuengling beer. It’s quite popular there. If you walk into a bar and order a “Lager”, they know you’re talking about the brewer’s flagship brew Yuengling Lager.
Yuengling: The Story of America’s Oldest Craft Beer Brewery
The Very Beginning
Founded in 1829, D. G. Yuengling and Son is America’s oldest operating brewery. It began as the “Eagle Brewery” in Pottsville, PA. The “main brewery” is still in Pottsville. David G. Yuengling emigrated to America from Wuerttemberg, Germany and settled in Pottsville, PA. He started the brewery and it remains, as it always has been, family owned.
The bald eagle has been their symbol from the beginning. Yeah, the bald eagle was their symbol before that massive brewery in St. Louis started using it. That massive brewery sued Yuengling over the use of the bald eagle. Yuengling won.
So, back in 1829, they started brewing just two beers. Those two beers continue to be brewed to this day. Those two beers are their Porter and Lord Chesterfield Ale.
Damn. Just thinking about those two tasty long-standing American craft beers makes me want to boogie to a state that sells them and not only drink my fill but stock up on cases of them both so I can get my liquid fix anytime I feel like it. Trust me when I tell you I feel like it often.
The Brewery Burns!
Tragedy struck in 1831 when the original brewery on Centre Street burned down. Not to worry, old D. G. was both motivated and industrious. He found a new location for his brewery Mahantongo Street and he rebuilt. To this day, that brewery is still there brewing up a variety of all-American beers for all of us to enjoy. If I might add, you are lucky enough to be in a state where it is available.
Here Comes Frederick…
Fast forwarding to 1873 D. G.’s son Frederick joins the brewing company and that necessitates a name change. 1873 is the year that the Eagle Brewery became D. G. Yuengling & Son to reflect Frederick’s involvement in the company.
More about the Yuengling brewery, their beers, and the influence of Frederick next time.
Drink more craft beer, my friends.
Then click here to go back the Things Men Buy homepage.
The biggest online shopping day of the year is Cyber Monday. It’s the Monday after Black Friday in case you have somehow missed this rabid online deal day. I’ve been combing through some websites trying to find the best Cyber Monday websites for men so I could share them with all of you thingsmenbuy.com visitors.
Finding the Best Cyber Monday Websites for Men
Great Deals with Things Men Buy
Naturally, I think any men’s online shopping excursion should start with Things Men Buy. Cyber Monday is no different. If you’re a man searching for man merchandise or if you’re shopping for the man in your life, thingsmenbuy.com has great reviews, products, and serves up other sites that offer great deals. Don’t overlook TMB.
Quality Watches from Crown & Caliber’s Website
If you want stellar men’s fashion watches, Crown & Caliber cannot be beat. We’re talking highest quality brands including Rolex, OMEGA, Patek Philippe, and others that men want can be found here. Do yourself a favor and shop their Cyber Monday deals before they end!
Many of the big online retailers, both those with brick and mortar stores and online only, have some serious money saving action happening for Cyber Monday.
Amazon and E-Bay Have Deals
These are two well known online shopping websites. Plenty of choices on either Amazon or E-Bay to stock up on man gear. Deals “o-plenty” can be found on either one. Keep your eyes open for Deals of the Day on Amazon.
Best Buy for Best Buys
Best Buy is especially good for all the latest high tech TVs. I get all jacked up when I think about not having to pay shipping charges on a giant TV. Good job on that Best Buy.
Newegg Electronics Heaven
Speaking of electronics (Best Buy…remember? Sure.), nose around Newegg. All kinds of deals on all kinds of electronics. Scout out some of their coupons for crazy savings!
Dell’s Deals
If you’re not an Apple freak like me, take a look at Dell’s website. They have discounts of up to 50%, plus they offer a low price match guarantee and financing too. With all that, you can really go crazy on Cyber Monday!
Cabela’s Stepping Up
Get ready, Men, it is outdoors time. Don’t overlook Cabela’s. They are definitely competing for the Best Cyber Monday Website for Men because they stretch their deals out the whole week. You heard right, Cabela’s offers an entire Cyber Week! Ya gotta love that!
But that’s not all. Cabela’s have a neat thing they call the “Bargain Cave” where you can find some select merch for up to 70% off. I’m hearing the call of the wild here, for sure.
Black Friday is a big deal and a day for big deals. Right? Wrong! It’s more than a day in many, many cases these days. So even though the actual day was yesterday and you may have been suffering from a turkey overdose and too stuffed to move your body to the stores or even your fingers across a keyboard, those are no reasons to suffer from doom and gloom. You still have time throughout the weekend to get great deals on things us men love to buy and have. Here are a few of the best Black Friday websites for men that I’ve found.
Here’s the Best Black Friday Websites for Men to Shop
Right here at Things Men Buy
Things Men Buy. Did you really think I wouldn’t mention thingsmenbuy.com? If you’ve looked around even a little at this website, you know there’s kick ass man stuff available at great prices and discounts. Check out the Black Friday money saving discount ads and click on them to shop for top notch merch that men like you and me just have to have. Big Boy Toys, Survival Gear, Grill Supplies and more are all here. Things Men Buy is an oasis for stuff for men.
Black Friday Savings at BJ’s
The BJ’s Wholesale Club website has some 4-day and 11-day deals going on that are pretty fantastic. You can save major bucks here on electronics. Looking for a PlayStation 4? How about an Amazon Fire TV stick remote control with Alexa voice? You can save hundreds of dollars on a variety of digital cameras from Canon and Nikon. I also saw big savings there on a mini-drone bundle too. If you want to upgrade your man cave, take a peek at all their curved screen UHD TVs. You can save hundreds of dollars on the most bad ass TVs you’ve ever seen. Plus they pay shipping on the TVs and do their “White Glove” set up where they set the TV up in the room of your choice and get rid of the trash for you too. If you want it mounted on a wall, you have to man-up and do that yourself.
Check Out the Best Buy Website
While I have mixed feelings about shopping in Best Buy stores, they do have some killer Black Friday deals happening on their website. I was mainly checking out Apple gear. If you’re all about Apple products, which I am, or want to make the jump to a sweet MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, you can definitely save some scratch by taking a look on their site. Best Buy also has quite a few pretty solid deals on some wicked TVs too.
More Worthwhile Black Friday Websites for Men
Some other great Black Friday websites for men deserve at least a mention. Obviously, I’m not being comprehensive here as there are a shit ton of websites that have Black Friday deals, but I’m going to lay out a few more.
If you’re into audio, Newegg has deals on top brand name audio equipment, electronics, and more. Newegg even has a marketplace where other vendors offer high-end audio, drones, gaming chairs, and other merchandise men appreciate.
Naturally, Amazon has to be mentioned too. They are aggressive in their pricing and that makes them super competitive. You can find just about anything any man would want there. Sometimes it takes awhile to comb through their website to find exactly what you want, but for most that is a small price to pay.
Fire up your computer and get shopping! It’s easy to find some deals on these black Friday websites which are all bursting with man gear. Credit cards ready? Go!
Another Thanksgiving day has come and gone. The country, as a whole, acknowledges and celebrates Thanksgiving with parades, meals, and football games. Most of us do this automatically, without thinking about it, we just do it. Some, however, may wonder why do we celebrate Thanksgiving. Is there some sort of Thanksgiving meaning that I’m missing out on or have I been doing it right…and for the right reasons?
Thanksgiving Meaning: Why Do We Actually Celebrate Thanksgiving?
Having a Happy Thanksgiving
Taking a peek from my little corner of the world, any positive reason for celebrating Thanksgiving is a good one. Getting together with family or friends, having a good Thanksgiving meal, or simply chilling in front of the tube for parades and games are all meaningful methods of celebrating this annual holiday.
On the other hand, some folks find comfort and meaning by connecting religion or faith to the whole shebang. This, perhaps, has connections to the Pilgrims, their supposed journey here in search of religious freedom, and the whole “First Thanksgiving” story we’ve been told over and over. Also, the act of “giving thanks” has much weight in Christian religions. Perhaps others too, but I’m most familiar with the Christian take on things.
A Little Thanksgiving Holiday History Secret…
I could be pragmatic and say the reason why we celebrate Thanksgiving is that it is a national holiday. It is a holiday because an influential, patriotic, and ambitiously crusading author named Sarah Josepha Hale became fascinated with the story of the Pilgrims feast in 1621. She decided to write a turkey and stuffing recipe book and she was a fan of pumpkin pie. She decided it would be a good idea to make Thanksgiving a national holiday.
In 1846 she took action and began writing annual editorials in her influential magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book championing making Thanksgiving a national holiday. This was persuasion aimed at President Lincoln. She sent letters too. She sent letters to every state and territorial governor attempting to garner support. It worked. In 1863, President Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday. Who says persistence doesn’t pay?
Turkey Day-Your Way
I think finding your own type of Thanksgiving meaning is the best route. That fits with my appreciation of free will and the importance of individual choice.
If you want to imagine Pilgrims and natives sitting around a table chowing down while you eat your fill and that puts a smile on your face, I say good for you. If celebrating Thanksgiving means you get a warm fuzzy by connecting the day to faith or religion, more power to you. If you are thankful for getting the day off from work, being an armchair quarterback, and yelling at the TV because refs are making shitty calls, I say go for it. If you want to have Thanksgiving drinks and conversate your fool head off, like I do, that’s an option too.
Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving is a good question. Why do you celebrate Thanksgiving is a question only you can answer. If you’re not sure why…no sweat. You have a whole year to come up with an answer that satisfies you.
Again, from my little corner of the world, taking a moment or more to be Thankful is an action without a downside in my book. I’ll leave it at that.
Thanksgiving, harvest time, autumn, the change of the seasons when, for most of the country leaves fall, the temperature drops more and more and we could use a little cozy comfort. How about getting at least some of that comfort from cocktails? Call some adult beverages into service to numb your body and mind. Here are some drinks for Thanksgiving that will get you through that holiday in grand Things Men Buy style!
You can go just about any direction you want for Thanksgiving mixed drinks. Fruity tropical cocktails would seem a little out of place for me. So, I recommend a couple classic cocktails that embrace the flavors and feel of the season. They’ll go good with your Thanksgiving meal too.
Whether your goal is getting a celebration attitude going, steeling yourself for a friendly debate with relatives or even lusting after your soon to be devoured turkey dinner, I can tell you this: One or more of these booze filled drinks for Thanksgiving in your hand and down your throat will contribute to your successful Thanksgiving.
Enjoy These Attitude Enhancing Drinks For Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Mixed Drinks for Four, Please
I dig Manhattans. It is on my short list of perfect cocktails. It’s mostly bourbon. You can’t go wrong with that. Use this recipe to make 4 Manhattans at once. Drink them all yourself or be a mensch and share.
Start with 1 cup of your favorite bourbon in your mixing glass or shaker, add two-thirds cup of sweet vermouth, put in four dashes of Angostura bitters and stir. Even if you are mixing in a shaker, stir, don’t shake. Oh, and do not have any ice in your mixing glass or shaker.
Have your rocks glasses handy and filled with cubed ice. Pour your delicious Manhattan and garnish that classic cocktail with an orange twist that you have wrapped around either a bourbon soaked or maraschino cherry. Drink those cares away.
My next Thanksgiving mixed drink is the venerable Old Fashioned. People, for whatever reason, tend to play fast and loose with this cocktail recipe. Screw that. Keep it traditional for the best tasting and most ass-kicking Old Fashion cocktail.
This is another bourbon drink. You can also use rye.
Sidebar: When you mix your drinks, use quality hooch. For these drink recipes, do not use bargain bin gut rot. I’m not saying use super premium sipping booze because you don’t use those in cocktails. Use quality ingredients all the way around when not only mixing drinks for Thanksgiving, but anytime. Quality begets quality.
An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving…Cocktail. Literally.
Back to the easy to make and damn tasty Old Fashioned. These are quick to make one by one or you can mix up a bottle batch. I’ll also include a bottle batch mixing recipe to make it easy for you.
In addition to a quality bourbon or rye, you need fine sugar, bitters, a little water, old fashion glasses and cubed ice. If you want to garnish it, have some orange slices or cherries handy.
For a single cocktail, add one teaspoon of sugar to an empty old fashion glass. Add two or three dashes of bitters and a few drops of water. Pour in 2 ounces of bourbon or rye. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Fill your glass with cubed ice and vigorously stir to chill your drink. To pretty it up, garnish with an orange slice or a cherry.
That is it. That is the time-honored, classic Old Fashioned recipe. No muddling involved. Just a delicious drink for Thanksgiving.
The More, The Merrier
Now, here’s the promised mega-quantity party recipe for Old Fashioneds.
In a clean 1 liter bottle add a fifth (that’s a 750ml bottle) of bourbon or rye, 1 ounce of fine sugar, about a dozen dashes of bitters and approximately 3-4 ounces of water. Cap the bottle and mix. Don’t go crazy shaking the mix filled bottle. Just shake enough to dissolve the sugar and thoroughly mix the ingredients.
Serve as I recommended above.
Put these Thanksgiving mixed drinks into play and I’m convinced you’ll have a happy holiday. Cheers and fuzzy memories to you.
Like most, I am naturally curious. However, my curiosity is not idle. I’ll put out the effort to satisfy that curiosity more times than not. Since Thanksgiving, a holiday I greatly enjoy is right around the corner, friends and family have been talking about cooking the turkey, what appetizers to eat this Thanksgiving, and overall meal planning. More than one mentioned “brining” the turkey. I wasn’t exactly sure what is brining a turkey, so I found out and thought I’d share that with here at Things Men Buy.
First off, please don’t think I’m a complete food idiot. I have at least a passing knowledge of what brine is, but that’s mainly limited to what you find in pickle and olive jars. And yes, I can cook. My cooking skills are pretty basic, but I can whoop up some wicked tasting chow. However, I am far, far, far away from being anything close to a chef or having chef-like skills.
What is Brining a Turkey Anyway?
Okay, let’s check out what I learned.
Brine is simply a type of marinade. That means that brining is marinating. While the purpose of most marinating is to add flavors to whatever it is you are marinating, in the case of Turkey, brining seems to be a mix of adding moisture and flavor to the meat.
When brining a turkey, the basic method is to mix up some salt and some water and then soak that bird in this brine. Seems like most recommend soaking the turkey in the brine from 8 to 24 hours.
Many are fans of brining a turkey to add flavors. Seems reasonable to me. They say that adding spices or herbs or even sugar is a good idea to get added flavor into that turkey. Not necessary, but a nice touch. Who am I to argue?
Warning! Don’t Over Brine Your Turkey
I never said brining was going to be pretty.
I found out a few other things about brining. You can over brine. Leaving your turkey in the brine too long can make it too salty. If your brining mixture is more diluted and you leave the bird in it too long, you run the risk of diluting the natural flavor of your turkey.
You can also “dry brine” a turkey. This confuses me a bit since a major point of brining is to add moisture. My guess is that dry brining is to solely add flavor. I could be wrong, but I could be right.
Good News for Procrastinators
The turkey does not have to be thawed in order to be brined. A frozen turkey can be brined too! Do wonders never cease? I’m full of Thanksgiving dinner ideas. Maybe not so much, but I am trying to help.
So there you go. A little exploration of what is brining a turkey courtesy of TMB.
By the way, I highly recommend reading more or watching some videos before you try this on the main course of your Thanksgiving dinner. I just wanted to whet your appetite a bit. As I said, when it comes to brining…I’m a rank amateur.
Happy eating! To get back to the home page, please click here. You can also check out this turkey brining video below.
Enjoy both dark and light beer this Thanksgiving. Now, where does she work?
If you think Thanksgiving is all about Turkey, stuffing, pies, and schtuff like that, I’m here to tell you that you have it all wrong. Thanksgiving is all about drinking! Drinking craft beer! Beer is food! Who the hell needs turkey? Give the poor bird a break, will ya? I’m here to help you have a craft beer Thanksgiving 2017 style.
Calm down, calm down. I’m full of it. Kind of. Let’s get some things straight. I love Thanksgiving. I love the whole chowing down on Turkey and other good stuff traditions. At my family’s annual Thanksgiving gathering, there’s well over a hundred of us. No joke. Over a hundred of us and we eat twice. Not for the faint of heart. Surprisingly, never any arguments. It’s a great time that myself, relatives, and friends all look forward to every single year!
Your Thanksgiving gathering does not have to have over a hundred attendees in order to add delicious craft beer to the fun. Remember, beer is food. So, craft beer is even better food! Let’s eat and drink in high style with some damn tasty and refreshing Thanksgiving 2017 craft beer “must drinks”.
Wednesday is Thanksgiving Party Night
You most likely don’t have to work, so why not start your Thanksgiving day with some “hair of the dog”. You are going to party down Wednesday night, right? Where I’m from, the night before Thanksgiving is one of the biggest party nights of the year. Make it a fun night for you too!
Presenting Your Thanksgiving 2017 Craft Beers!
Double Stout from Green Flash
I recommend starting your Thanksgiving morning with Green Flash Double Stout. It’s almost 9% ABV so that’ll put you back right where you need to be to have fun with your relatives. Even the ones you don’t really care for that much. There’s great coffee flavor to it and you can pour in a little more joe to it for that added caffeine kick. Enjoy the chocolate goodness blended in which makes this stout a sweet holiday breakfast with a dose of ass kick!
Enjoy Yuengling Black & Tan
If you’re a real beast and want to start off the day two-fisted another way, I have a suggestion for that too. Here’s what you do, get your coffee going and have a cup in one hand and wash it down with a Yuengling Black & Tan. Yuengling’s Black & Tan is a mix of their Porter and Premium beer. It has a pretty mild ABV of around 5%.
If you don’t want your family to look at you like a rehab-bound lush, drink your coffee first. After that, grab that beckoning Black & Tan bottle of holiday cheer while mouth-watering aromas make your stomach growl for that tasty turkey feast. No need to deny your thirst while waiting for din din. Since this brewski is a little lighter than an imperial stout and clocks in at a lower ABV, no problem making this your all day choice for Thanksgiving and consuming mass quantities of this craft beer.
How About Wheat Beer?
On the other hand, worried about getting “too full” on darker beers and having to go short on Turkey and all the fixings? I’m tempted to say “man up”, but I won’t…even though I just did. How’s that for some light-hearted double talk? All in the name of fun. But wait, didn’t I just mention the word “light’? What a segue to me mentioning Hefeweizen. Yes, it’s wheat beer time my TMB friends.
I’m going all St. Louis with my Hefeweizens. There’s a lot of German beer tradition in St. Lou and they’ve seen a lot of craft breweries become players. I’m not the biggest Hefeweizen fan on planet beer, but I have no problem with these taste bud tingling easy to drink suds bombs.
Let’s go to a grand pappy of St. Louis craft brewers. They got out of the gate back in 1991 with a Pale Ale and a Hefeweizen. Let’s visit Schlafly’s now.
Try Hefeweizen from Schlafly’s
Schlafly Hefeweizen is a bottle of flavors that will make you re-read the label. They’ve gone “hoppy” with this wheat beer. Crisp malts are married with floral hops to make this craft beer almost defy categorization. The initial aroma blast also wafts hopsy, but in the end, Schlafly has come up with a seriously unique and outrageously flavorful Hefeweizen that pushes the envelope and earns them extra craft beer innovation points from yours truly.
Here’s another gem of a craft beer from St. Louis. It has the odd name of Schnickelfritz which, coincidentally, was the name of my neighbor’s dog when I was a kid. I found out it is a German origin term of endearment. Back to the beer.
Drink Schnickelfritz…WTF?
Urban Chestnut is a craft brewer and they do things right. They are especially skilled when it comes to putting out German styles of beer. Their Schnickelfritz Weissbier is a stellar example of their Hefeweizen brewing skills. Urban Chestnut’s Schnickelfritz is both crisp and clean with a balanced aroma of, oddly enough, both clove and banana. It tastes like heaven in a glass with a tiny bit of sweetness to finish it off.
Get Schnickelfritz from Urban Chestnut. Drink Schnickelfritz for Thanksgiving and beyond. Just do it. You’ll thank me. Oh yes, you’ll thank me.
I’ve laid out your craft beer Thanksgiving starting with your morning eye-openers and moving throughout the day. I didn’t overwhelm you with choices. I kept it simple. Only four beers. Just picking two of these, a dark and a light, and enjoying them throughout the day is a recipe for flavorful enjoyment, smiles on your face, and buzzy fun with food, relatives, and football.
A couple friends asked if I had any thanksgiving appetizer ideas, so I thought I’d follow up from my last post about different dinner recipes for Thanksgiving. If you’re your family is anything like mine, when we were kids, we normally made an all-day affair of Thanksgiving. We all gathered to eat lunch, then the adults would veg out, well the men would normally fall asleep watching television. The women would go outside under the large patio, sip on tea, and chat the afternoon up, while we kids would play hide and seek, baseball, climb trees, or anything else we could think of for fun. Once we came back covered in mud from head to toe. That was a sight to see and a Thanksgiving fun time we would never repeat.
I have tons of appetizer recipes to share, but I’m going to share the one’s that tend to go over best at my parties. This first one is lighter and is perfect for health-minded folks. Remember we have a variety of friends nowadays that range from meat eaters to Vegetarians, so when planning, keep in mind those family and friends.
Yogurt Fruit Dip
1 – 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 cup of yogurt (any flavor)
¼ cup sugar (I prefer brown sugar, it makes it richer, however white will do)
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with hand mixer until it’s smooth. Add yogurt and sugar and combine until smooth.
You can serve this with grapes, berries, melons, strawberries, pears, pineapple, and apples. If you choose apples, if you are not serving immediately, you may want to toss a little lemon juice over them, so they do not brown. Serves 6-8
Cut each tortilla into 6 wedges. Lightly brush wedges with olive oil on both sides. Broil for a few minutes on each side until golden brown and crisp. Let cool, then spread with equal amounts of cheese. Top with smoked salmon and garnish with capers and tiny sprigs of dill. Makes 18 wedges
Chili Cheese Dip with a twist
1 – 8oz package cream cheese
1 – 15oz chili – your choice, beans or no beans
cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 tomato diced and seeded
3 green onions diced
bag of small tortilla strips (optional)
Preheat oven 350 degrees. (You can also do this in the microwave, however I don’t like using the microwave. Warm chili in a pot. Spread cream cheese in the bottom of a 8×8 glass baking dish. Once oven is preheated, spread chili over top and sprinkle with half the cheese. Bake for 10 minutes. Pour tortilla strips on top, remaining cheese and green onions, cook for another 5-7 minutes until other cheese has melted. Serve immediately.
If you’re not going to serve immediately, you can skip adding the tortilla strips on the top and serve as a dip with regular tortilla chips. Serves 6-8
Ranch Cheese Ball with Crackers
1 – 8oz cream cheese – softened
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 package ranch dip mix (1 oz)
Optional walnuts or pepper
Fancy crackers
This one is easy, once cream cheese has set out a while to soften, mix all ingredients together and form a ball. You can roll it in either the walnuts or the black pepper to coat the outside. Place in the middle of a serving dish and place crackers around it. Serves 8-12
Stuffed Mushrooms
24 large mushrooms
1 – 8oz cream cheese softened
1 – 6oz package Stove Top Stuffing
½ cup margarine/butter
2 tablespoons oil
Parmesan cheese
Clean mushrooms and remove stems. Prepare the stuffing by following the basic directions on the box. Mix cream cheese and stuffing until cream cheese us completely melted. Fill mushrooms with mixture Melt butter in a large skillet, then add the 2 tablespoons oil and mushrooms with stuffing side up. Cover skillet and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes or until done. Top with parmesan cheese and serve. Serves 6
There are other items that go over well as appetizers. You can pick up fruit trays and vegetable trays at the grocery store if you are in a pinch, although, I like preparing my own. You can also find really tasty and a large variety of cheeses or cheese spreads at places like Trader Joes or Whole Foods that you can simply buy, place them on a long serving tray together and surround by various types of crackers. Throw a few fresh basil leaves or sprigs of dill and it will look like you’ve hired a professional.
Another easy appetizer is bread dipping oil. There’s a variety of recipes that include olive oil, some add balsamic vinegar, basil, garlic, and other spices to it. Serve with Italian bread, baguettes, or any other type bread loaf.
Get creative and see what sounds good. Remember though, depending on how may you are feeding, don’t overdo the appetizers and cocktails before the main course or you may have a ton of Thanksgiving leftovers. A great idea is to keep to go plates on hand and not end up with a refrigerator full of food for 3 weeks. Have fun and enjoy this holiday season. Don’t forget to remember what all you have to be grateful for.
Traditionally tailgating parties were based around a football game, these days they can be based around any sporting events, outdoor performances (think Opera or orchestra) and Nascar events too.
What do you bring to a tailgate party? It depends what sort of event you are visiting, you always take food and drink – that used to be a sandwich and a couple of beers, now people pull their tailgate down, get the grill out and prepare a feast!
Top Secrets To The Perfect Tailgating Party
You want something delicious, easy and that proves your team loyalty for the perfect tailgate.
#1. Pre-prep your tailgating treats
Let’s face it, guys and their grilling skills is super well-known, if we make our barbeque skills perfect we can impress our guests with ease and flair!
So, if you really want to impress, do some pre-prep by researching your steaks and turning up to the tailgate with some succulent high-end cuts of beef. You could go for the Wow factor and arrive with a tomahawk steak or casually mention that you decided to go with wagyu today instead of kobe. No-one will have the slightest clue what you are talking about, but will LOVE the taste of your meat!
You could go upmarket and instead of beer, have a cocktail party! There are loads of great martini recipes on ThingsMenBuy.com and you could take all the ingredients in ready-made containers and mix your martinis at the party!
#2. Deck Out Your Tailgate with your Team
Make sure that you have your team colors and memorabilia out on display to show that you are a true fan.
You could go one step further and theme your food or drink with the team colors.
My team is New England Patriots and I have been known to have pomegranate martinis or blueberry martinis, garnished with a cherry for my drink of the day (I make these with this recipe and substitute the pomegranate for blueberries!)
I will also bring along blueberry muffins and red velvet cakes to the party. There is always plenty of Patriotic Twizzlers in my team colors. Go Patriots!
#3. DIY Lawn Games
Tailgating lawn games are always great fun and they provide you with plenty of time to make new friends and hang out with buddies before the game.
Tailgating Tricks
Here’s how to really impress the babes that you want, the next ‘level’ of DIY games!!
Get practising guys, if you can impress your date with these tricks you will be so super cool – you’ll be able to choose which bodacious babe you want to date! Check out our guide on First Date Advice to help you once you’ve picked up that first date in your diary.
#4. Supportive Friends & Family
And of course, the most important thing for a tailgating party is it’s not who you support but it’s about having fun with a great group of people who all want to get together. I love the community feel of tailgating it’s a great excuse to enjoy life with each other!
The holidays are packed full of family, fun, spirits, food, and a ton of calories. One search online and I can come up with tons of new Thanksgiving dinner ideas. This is exactly what I needed because as a kid, every year we would have with the same food: Aunt Betties “famous” mashed potatoes with gravy, Helen’s squash casserole, mom’s green bean casserole topped with crunchy onions, baked turkey, that was normally as dry as could be, with stuffing that was either one extreme or the other (sticky or dry), and the old faithful dessert, pumpkin pie. And me, I was always in the middle of the kitchen mess with mom.
As an adult, I wanted to spice things up a bit, instead of the traditional recipes, I hunted for new and exciting ways to fix a rocking Thanksgiving meal. Start with the main meat, the turkey. Let’s face it, most turkeys are so dry and tasteless, simply because the person preparing it doesn’t know how to properly brine a turkey and then cook it. My cooking of choice it the greaseless turkey fryer. Yeah baby.
In the kitchen, I am very creative with the side dishes. Anyone who has been to my cookouts, knows I mix things up. It doesn’t get boring here. Although I do receive request for some of the same dishes. I do my best to oblige.
Below are a few recipe ideas I have used. They include some of my favorites and the guests loved them too. I really like this first one because it’s great served with turkey or pork. It’s not limited to only a Thanksgiving side dish. Use it anytime to add flare to your meat.
Kicked-Up Candied Apples
6 cups apples (your choice) I like pink lady. Peeled and sliced
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter
¼ cup Jack Daniels Whiskey (optional) I have sub for other brands
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place apples, sugar, and butter in a saucepan. Cook stirring occasionally until butter is melted and sugar dissolved. Pour into 9×9 inch baking dish. Bake 40 minutes or until apples are tender and sauce is bubbly. Optional stir in whiskey while apples are hot.
Credit given to the folks at the Jack Daniels distillery in Lynchberg, Tennessee
Tip: Prepare this so it is one of the last to come out of the oven or place it in a warmer to keep hot and serve a scoop next to or over the turkey. Oh man, this is so good!
Sweet Potato Gratin – Instead of Candied Yams
3 tablespoons butter, divided
4 pounds sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut crosswise into ¼ inch slices
¾ parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups heavy whipping cream
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter. Add one third of the sweet potatoes to the bottom of the pan, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with ¼ cup of the grated parmesan cheese. Repeat with two more layers of sweet potatoes and cheese. In a small bowl, combine heavy whipping cream, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Pour over potatoes. Dot the top with the remaining 2 table spoons of butter. Cover the dish with foil and bake for twenty minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until potatoes are tender and slightly browned, around 20-25 minutes.
Balsamic & Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
8 cups cauliflower florets, cut into 1 inch thick slices (1 large head will normally do)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ cup parmesan cheese, finely shredded
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
¼ teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large glass bowl, toss in the cauliflower, pour olive oil over and mix. Make sure all florets are covered well in oil. Sprinkle marjoram, ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper on top of coated florets, mix well, to ensure even coat. (Optional: you can place a sheet of aluminum foil on a large baking with rim first, shiny side down – this makes for easier cleanup) Arrange florets on baking sheet, so that they do not cover each other. Place in oven and roast until they start to soften and brown on the bottom, about 15-20 minutes. Pull out of oven and put back in cleaned bowl, then add vinegar, toss well. Sprinkle with cheese and return to the oven. Roast for another 5 – 10 minutes, until cheese is melted, and all moisture has evaporated. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
Garlic Butter Asparagus
1 bunch of asparagus
½ stick butter
1 small clove of garlic (sometimes I used already minced garlic)
Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash asparagus and cut ends off(not the flowered portion, the other end). Layer them in a glass baking dish. Cut butter into small thin squares and lay on the asparagus. Chop garlic and spread over top of butter (or add minced garlic on top). Sprinkle with salt. Bake for around 20 minutes or until tender. Not mushy, you want them with a little crunch.
Fair warning on this next recipe, it takes time and preparation, however it’s so yummy and worth all the effort.
To Die for Eggplant Parmesan (Not Kidding)
1 medium sized eggplant, peeled and sliced
Breadcrumbs
3 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
3 cups cooking oil
1 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
1 cup romano cheese
**Tomato sauce (See recipe for instructions)
Kosher salt
Optional 3-4 basil leaves
Peel eggplant. Slice into about ¼ inch slices. If the eggplant seems dry, you can wet them. Next step is to make the eggplant slices sweat. To do this, arrange a layer in a colander, then sprinkle well with salt, place another layer and repeat until all slices have been covered in salt, place a paper towel on top, then place a bowl or something heavy on top as a weight. This helps get the moisture out so the eggplant when cooked is tender and not rubbery. Let them sit for 1 hour. After the hour, rinse each piece to ensure all salt is rinsed off. Lay on paper towels and blot dry.
While you’re waiting on the eggplant slices to sit an hour you can make your tomato sauce, or you can use an already prepared sauce, like an Italian spaghetti sauce no meat (I buy the plain spaghetti sauce and add basil, garlic powder and onion powder to taste). I’ve made my own tomato sauce before and it’s yummy, but if you are short on time, you can use already made kind. Heat the sauce up right before you start frying the eggplant slices.
Let’s get the assembly line ready.
Place breadcrumbs in a bowl. In another bowl combine eggs and milk, then whip. Place oil in frying pan on a medium heat setting to get hot. Now you have your sauce heated and have a baking dish ready. At least an 9×9 size. (If you have extra, you could prepare, cook and freeze or serve fried eggplant as part of the meal or an appetizer with the sauce for dipping)
Once oil is hot (not too high because you don’t want to burn, take the first slice of eggplant and dip in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumbs. Coat one side then flip to coat the other, place in frying pan, repeat until you have the oil surface full of cooking eggplant. Fry on side until golden brown, then flip (about a minute on each side). Repeat until all eggplant is cooked golden brown on both sides. Once they come out of the frying pan, place on top of a few paper towels, to absorb some of the oil.
At this point you will have some of the eggplant that has been cooked, now you can put a layer of sauce in the baking dish on the bottom, then arrange a layer of the cooked eggplant, then sprinkle the parmesan cheese and then the ramona cheese on top of the eggplant slices. Next, spoon in another layer of sauce on top of the cheeses. (If I have them, I added a few basil leaves on top of this layer of sauce- this gives extra flavor). Repeat the process one to two more times, according to the size of your baking dish. Make sure your final topping is the cheese. Bake half an hour at 350 degrees.
This eggplant recipe is one of my favorites and was given to me by a family friend. She has lived in Italy and visits often. Her food is delicious. If you’d like to watch her video you can do that here. I like to use any leftover cheese and make Italian cheesy bread to go along with it.
I’d love to know if you try any of these alternative recipes to make your Thanksgiving dinner menu a bit more exciting and different than every other year. Hey, if you think friends and family will freak out, try a one or two to start and see how it goes this year. Then if they love it, you can do a few different ones for next year. Just make a note of what went over well and what didn’t. The same old thing gets boring, at least to me it does. If you love Martini’s as much as we do at our parties, you might want to check out some of the adult beverage Martini recipes.
Since I am a big fan of the classic martini and since I have a big appreciation of history, it’s natural to combine the two. For me, the best time to enjoy martinis and quality adult beverages, in general, is before, during, and after checking out local history. Why limit yourself, eh? With that in mind, I want to figure out what is the best place to have a martini in Boston. You can imbibe in martinis in any city, but there’s something that feels rightly rebellious about drinking a martini here.
Martinis and Puritans…What?!?!
Boston was founded by Puritans. Not exactly the most party-hardy of folks. What better way to rub their face in it, much after the fact but still appealing to a hedonistic iconoclast like me, than to quaff ridiculously stiff drinks while engaging in fun-loving frivolity with like-minded men and women. Heavy emphasis on women. Take that you fun sucking Puritans!
When drinking martinis, atmosphere is everything. Well, its everything as long as you have an expert martini mixer behind the bar doing things right. Many places have martini menus ten feet long including every flavor and permutation you may or may not have imagined. Let me tell you what, it all starts with the classic ingredients of gin (always my preference) or vodka and dry vermouth. To get respect from me, the tender has to get the classic right.
Finding Out What is the Best Place to Have a Martini in Boston
Oak Long Bar and Kitchen
They get martinis right at the Oak Long Bar and Kitchen. Traffic-wise, Boston can be a tough town to get around. Parking is a real bear. Public transportation is your friend. Hey, we’re drinking martinis here after all. So, hotel bars are the place to be for me. The atmosphere, the variety of people, and the top shelf cocktails. Pricey…usually, but worth it in my book. With that in mind, the best place to have a martini in Boston is the Oak Long Bar and Kitchen at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel.
Dress to impress and be ready to drop some coin at this 4 Star, 4 Diamond hotel in operation since 1912. The Back Bay location of the historic Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel is easy walking distance to a number of historic sights in Boston including Beacon Hill.
The Oak Long Bar and Kitchen features a copper top bar, hand-crafted cocktails, and farm to table dining with locally sourced ingredients. They won the “Best Hotel Bar” in Boston Magazine’s annual Best of Boston competition for 2017. Also in 2017, they won Trip Advisor’s Certificate of Excellence. This means that locals and out of towners love this place!
Pay to Play Boston Martini Time!
The scene trends a little older, but this place is lively and a great place to get social while you’re sipping their amazing, and huge, classic martini! I’m talking next level martini here. Expert mixing and execution, killer presentation, and you get plenty for your $22 cocktail spend.
You are served the best martini in Boston in appropriate glassware with your very own martini filled carafe iced down in your very own martini chilling pail. Don’t bitch, don’t wimp out, go here and gladly throw down your big limit credit card for a massive martini and order up some incredible food too. Your taste buds will be thanking you forever.
So the swackets were something that came out last year, and I got a few of them. They are awesome! My son wanted one as well so hence the Boys UA swacket purchase. These are very comfortable and actually provide a decent amount of warmth.
I’ll be traveling to Europe this Winter, so I’ll be in need of a lot of gear. Of course, UA is always my go-to.
I’ll be back more, make sure you visit this page for the latest deals I’ve found online.
What do you think of when anyone mentions Los Angeles? Smog? Beaches? Traffic? Ocean? The Lakers? The Dodgers? Sure, I think of all those things. Hell, I’ve experienced most of those things and more when in LA. What I mainly think of when I hear Los Angeles is Hollywood. To me, Hollywood makes LA, LA. So if you ask me what is the best place to have a martini in Los Angeles, I’m going to tell you to “go Hollywood”.
Since I have an appreciation for Hollywood, its history, movies, entertainment legends, and that whole scene, I want to drink my martinis in classic digs. Places that have a history, a legendary vibe that you can almost sink your teeth into and taste all the coolness that has taken place there over the years.
What is the Best Place to Have a Martini in Los Angeles?
To me, Los Angeles means Hollywood. And for the best joints to sip classic martinis (and other great cocktails) in Hollywood, there are two stand outs. Musso and Frank Grill is one and The Dresden is the other. Both are icons in their own right and are places to be experienced for adult beverage imbibing men.
Checking out Musso and Frank Grill
When you’re having a martini in Musso and Frank Grill located in the heart of Hollywood, you are drinking with the ghosts of legends. Bogart, Orson Welles, Garbo, Chaplin and other entertainment giants from the past and present. This place opened back in 1919.
Stop right there! If you think that you’ll get second class service here because you’re not some big celebrity, you couldn’t be more wrong. Everybody get A #1 top shelf service here. That’s part of their secret to being in business almost a hundred years!
A bartender named Manny Aguirre has been mixing “the best martinis in town”, just ask him and he’ll tell you, there for over 25 years. I haven’t been out there lately, but I’m pretty sure he hasn’t retired. Whether you prefer gin (which I do) or vodka, you’ll get a spectacular martini served just right with extra in a little decanter. I highly recommend you having a classic martini which is beautiful in its simplicity. Gin or Vodka, Dry Vermouth and an olive.
Time for The Dresden
Another best place to drink a martini in Los Angeles is in East Hollywood. The Dresden has been there for about 60 years. You’ve seen The Dresden in films such as “That Thing You Do” and “Swingers”. They have great music, jazz and standards, every night of the week. The restaurant is on left when you go inside and the piano bar lounge is on the right.
If you want to dig right into one of LA’s best made martinis, head to the bar and order their classic martini. It is so good that is famous in its own right. If that’s not an incentive, I don’t know what the hell is.
They’re Both Great Los Angeles Restaurants Too!
A huge bonus is that both of the best places to drink a classic martini in LA are also excellent places to eat. Having dinner and martinis is satiating two appetites at once just like we men like to do. Enjoy my friends.
When planning a night out in Miami or anywhere in South Florida that includes tasty adult beverages the first cocktails that pop into mind are most likely tropical ones with visions of tiny parasols sticking out of your glass. No! Give me a break. We’re at thingsmenbuy.com. Dammit, let’s drink like men. That means martinis. So let’s take a look at a primo bar at which to drink a martini in Miami.
Make it a Gin Martini
Before we get there, I have to offer my opinion about that most classic of all manly cocktails which is the martini. My opinion? Gin. Gin, dry vermouth, and an olive. A gin martini is the best martini. The gin and dry vermouth are poured over fresh ice and stirred and poured into a 5 ounce martini glass. Stirring reduces the dilution of the booze. A 5 ounce glass insures that that drink is poured not too big and becomes warm before you finish it. An olive? Because it works, that’s why.
Discovering What is the Best Place to Have a Martini in Miami
The Traymore Gin Bar
Taking into consideration my viewpoint as expressed above, my choice for the best place to enjoy a martini in Miami has to be The Traymore Gin Bar.
You’re in Miami so that means Art Deco and this fine establishment surrounds you with that both subtly visually and in the ambience. At the same time, The Traymore is modern. It is bright. Its in a hotel lobby that has great energy. (Face it, people milling and moving about can be both fun and interesting.) Nuts and olives are served by your personable bartender. Did I mention the platters shimmer? They do. Shimmering platters of nuts and olives. Yeah, that’s a selling point to me…go figure! They even supply a freestanding rack that can be placed alongside your lady’s barstool so she can hang her purse on it! The music playing in the background is as tastefully chill as the laid back swankiness of the scene.
Let’s get to the stars of this show. The martinis!
There is a skill, an acquired skill, a knack if you will to craft a truly spectacular martini. I’ve know bartenders for years and they’ve been tending even longer than I’ve know them and they just can’t quite nail a superior martini. Others seem to have the gift, the magic touch of mixology that elevates their martinis to valhalla level. Somehow, The Traymore Gin Bar has staff with this mystical expertise. They do it right.
As I said, Gin for your Martini!
As the name implies, Gin is the featured guest, the superstar of this bar. They have, for your choosing, more gins than you probably knew existed. Over 30 gins. Wow! There are familiar brands and off the beaten path artisanal gins all competing for your attention. Start off with a classic martini. Enlist the expertise of your bartender to select your poison. Then, relish the bare naked flavorness of this classic cocktail.
What is the best place to have a martini in Miami? My vote goes to The Traymore Gin Bar. The Traymore is located in the lobby of the Como Metropolitan Miami Beach Hotel at 2445 Collins Avenue. Enjoy with and in class.
I’ve been reading again. I know you’re thinking, “that’s dangerous”. You may be right but I don’t have to admit it. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t have to admit to anything when I’m out drinking a having some harmless man fun. I think all of us at Things Men Buy can agree to that. And drinking is the topic at hand, specifically the topic of drinking your first craft beer.
Taking the Craft Beer Plunge
Maybe you’ve never had a craft beer. Maybe you have a friend who has never had a craft beer. Maybe you wonder what are craft beers. Yes, this is a real thing! No problem. So what do you do? How do you get yourself or a bro diving into the tasty, sudsy, often high alcohol world of American craft beer?
That’s easy…drink. Sure, just start swigging down some brands of beers that you’ve never heard of or may have heard of and have just never taken the plunge.
Maybe the sheer number of choices is overwhelming? Maybe you don’t want to get one that doesn’t taste good to you, that you want to pour out, that you want to send back to the bartender but you don’t want to be guilty of alcohol abuse by wasting what probably is a perfectly good beer that someone else might enjoy?
Time For Drinking Your First Craft Beer!
Never fear! The Craft Joint here at thingsmenbuy.com is here to help you or your buds get outta the gate and pop that craft beer cherry. That means I have a few selection suggestions for drinking your first craft beer.
Try Sam Adams Boston Lager
Have a Sam Adams Boston Lager. Almost everyone has heard of Sam Adams beer. It is a lager so it won’t offend most palates, especially those who are regular drinkers of big brewery beers. Sam Adams is a good starting point.
Have a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Another good starting point is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. This granddaddy of craft brewing is a light bodied easy drinking ale with an alcohol content close to what most regular beer drinking dudes are used to every day.
Both of the above-mentioned beers are available almost everywhere and are pretty well known by now. They have survived the tests of time and taste. Personally, I like both of them and believe that most other beer drinkers do too or would if given the chance.
Enjoy Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
For those who are a little more adventurous, have a Two Hearted Ale from Bell’s. Bell’s Brewery is in Michigan and their Two Hearted Ale is an IPA that is almost universally loved by anyone who takes a sip. At 7% Alcohol by Volume, it packs more of a kick than most are used too. Hey, that’s part of the fun though, isn’t it?
Bell’s Two Hearted Ale is also available in many places. Not as widely distributed as Sam Adams or Sierra Nevada, for sure, but you most likely won’t have too much trouble tracking down some of these bottles of beer love.
With the craft beers I just talked about, you can begin your trip to the land of hops and malts that you might not even know existed. Pop a bottle cap, tilt a glass, order up a draft and get your bad self moving toward craft beer flavor-land. Man up and knock it back!