Sunflower

Stay Healthy- Eat Local

Agriculture is big business in the state of North Carolina. The Department of Agriculture headed up by Steve Troxler, has its own marketing arm called “Got To Be NC” their mission is to put local ingredients and products on store shelves, dining tables, and restaurant menus throughout the community.  Their motto is – Stay Healthy, Eat Local. As we emerge from a pandemic staying healthy is certainly on the top of many people’s minds. 

Not just eating healthy, but enjoying more outdoor activities. North Carolina’s beautiful coastal communities and mountainous regions offer many opportunities to explore agrotourism. If you are seeking fun, family activities like meeting some alpacas, picking your own berries or pumpkins, hiking, or even river rafting, North Carolina has it all for you. We even spent a night in a converted train car turned AirBNB on a buffalo farm in the mountains.  The buffalos were quite interesting and strolled just outside our rental unit. 

If you are looking for horseback riding, mushroom foraging or goat yoga the venues listed on the GottobeNC website are sure to fit the bill. In addition you can visit a meadery, a mill, or a mine. We recently went berry picking at Vollmer Farm in Bunn, NC. We brought along a pair of cheers and cut our own flowers. It does not get any fresher than that. We noticed there was a little ice cream shop on the premises, if you fancied a cool treat after picking. 

There is a never-ending list of things to do outside in North Carolina. Fairs and outdoor festivals are also slowly showing up on the calendar in 2021 and 2022. The North Carolina State Fair is scheduled for October 14th-24th this year.  We suspect that in the coming months we will see an uptick in the Fall festivals category. 

If the crowded fairgrounds fuming with the smell of funnel cakes and whirring of the giant Ferris wheel are not your scene there is still so much to do in North Carolina. If you prefer a more laid-back adventure why not simply map out a few local wineries to explore, you could even make a day of it. According to NC Wine. North Carolina is home to more than four hundred vineyards and two hundred wineries. They are located from the mountains to the coast and this site even provides a regional map to easily plan your trip. Some of the excursions offer suggestions for those who are seeking adventures in the local cuisines as well, such as the Southern Gateway Trail which leads you right through the town of Lexington renowned for its amazing barbecue. 

If a day trip is in your plans then venturing to Saxapahaw, NC  won’t disappoint. Once you are in this quaint little mill town you can rent a canoe or kayak and head out on a guided river tour. You can also experience this area on foot. Reverence Farm will allow you to have a stroll around anytime you like as long as you obey their rules. No dogs allowed, only drive on gravel roads, and don’t take up the time of their staff. If you are a foodie, their website offers some solid recipes too.  Speaking of food, the best place to eat while visiting Saxapahaw believe it or not is The General Store. Don’t let the name fool you the food is as gourmet as it gets.

The Eddy Pub. is another Saxapahaw favorite. People rave about the high quality, local ingredients that are used to make common pub food dishes stand out as something special. Any place that serves Lusty Monk mustard in my book surely understands the importance of taste and quality. 

What if you are unable to spend an entire day somewhere frolicking about, can you still enjoy some fresh air and take home a taste of nature? May we suggest a mini agritourism experience as a solution. If you can carve out an hour of your time on Saturday morning and simply visit your local small-town farmers market. 

I recently read somewhere a quote that said “farmers markets were the dinner table of a community” What a lovely way to describe just what we experience as we stroll from booth to booth, meeting people and learning about their wares. The farmers who participate at these open air markets share their stories, their kindness and their knowledge. We as the public have the fortunate experience to for a few moments peer into their worlds and walk away with a prize from their farming efforts, the fruits of their labor literally in some cases. 

We recently visited the Wake Forest Farmers Market located just off the main road in downtown Wake Forest, NC. This is a small venue with about 20 participating businesses. We easily saw everything and walked out with two bags of groceries in less than one hour. If you have a couple of hours to spare then the Midtown Farmers Market offers even more vendors and usually has a food truck on hand for lunch. The State Farmers Markets in Raleigh, NC can take several hours to visit, especially if you make it across the street to the Market Imports shop and you stop to eat at either of the two restaurants located on the campus, The State Farmers Market Restaurant or The NC Seafood Restaurant. 

If 2020 taught us anything, it was the agricultural and small business community who rallied to feed us when supply chains broke down. It is also them who are leading the social recovery efforts out of the pandemic with outdoor entertainment options and events on their farms. Let’s be sure to acknowledge their efforts and reward them with our patronage. Most of all “Stay Healthy-Eat Local”

Wine

Summer Wine and Seafood Pairing

Summer wine, what is it exactly?
When asking other people they may say Pinot Grigio or White Summer Sangria. While those certainly are wines that come to mind, I recently went to a wine pairing this summer that proved that Sauvignon Blanc, Rose, and even Chardonnay are perfect summer pairings with summer seafood. 

Sauvignon Blanc, Rose, and even Chardonnay are perfect summer pairings with summer seafood. 

This dinner was held at the Mayton Inn, Cary, North Carolina. It was built after I moved from the area and I was surprised to see such an opulent venue in the middle of what used to be a quiet lazy, downtown area. Much has changed about the City of Cary in the last 10 years. The downtown is abuzz with nightlife. There are so many places for adults to convene. There are two breweries, Bond Brothers and Cotton House,  and Pharmacy Bottle Shop serves craft beers on tap. There are many cafes, a movie theater and The Mayton Inn with a full bar, restaurant, function room, and nearly fifty guest rooms. 

I was surprised to see such an opulent venue in the middle of what used to be a quiet lazy, downtown area.

The Mayton Inn was charming as you can see in some of the photos. We plan to go back to order a drink from the Highball lounge (especially for half price bourbon night on a Monday). The lounge name came from Cary’s history as a “train city”. You can still board the Amtrak to many destinations right from downtown.  Highballing is apparently a term used to describe a steam engine moving at its highest speed.  

Tonight we dined in the function room and the food was prepared by Executive Chef, Steven Zanini, III, and his staff. Steve’s food is known around the area as he has cooked at Dean’s, Jimmy V’s, and Midtown Grille.

Executive Chef, Steven Zanini, III, and his staff.

We will explain the food that was served in each course and describe these summer wines that were paired. We were lead through this wine tasting journey by oenophile, Emily from Empire Distributors who was kind enough to share her experience and knowledge with us.

Amuse Busche

First up, the Amuse Busche. It was a Summer Crab Salad served on a wonton soup spoon. It was made with the appropriate balance of panko and crabmeat that enabled us to taste the salty, light, crab flavor and give us the crunchy mouthfeel the chef was going for. It was quite delicious. The wine this dish was paired with was the Emmol Sauvignon Blanc made by Jenny Wagner. She comes from the same family of vintners who make the more well known Caymus. What I loved about this wine was it was the opposite of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. It was minerally with fresh notes of citrus, peach and wood char. This made perfect sense since the Wagner family are the owners both the Rutherford and Oak Knoll vineyards. 

This made perfect sense since the Wagner family are the owners of both the Rutherford and Oak Knoll vineyards. 

The next course was a Grilled Peach Ceviche that sat in an edible bowl of crispy fried wonton dough. When eating this fresh seafood dish the calamari’s texture gave way to a slight pop but was not chewy between my teeth. The peach and citrus flavor sprinkled with cilantro leaves and a hint of heat kept me wanting another forkful. It was paired with a pretty Sokol Blosser Rose because of its aromas of peach and jasmine along with a lingering rhubarb taste on the finish. This bright, delicate, rose is 100% Pinot Noir and 100% estate grown in Dundee Hills which is part of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. The Sokol vineyard is owned by a brother and sister, Alex and Allison Sokol who are second-generation wine growers whose family was into organic farming before sustainability was a thing. 

The next course was a Grilled Peach Ceviche that sat in an edible bowl of crispy fried wonton dough.

Next was the main course which was a pan-seared tile-fish. The fish had a sweet buttery flavor that is similar to crab or lobster. It was served over a finely shredded cabbage and carrot slaw accompanied by a citrusy, sweet sauce to drizzle on top. On the side was a rice cup that had been crusted on the top giving it a more nutty flavor, and color on the plate with a crunchy texture. The main course was paired with the Diatom Chardonnay.  This central coast, Santa Barbara, CA wine was unoaked with lemon and citrus on the nose. The winemaker for this one is Greg Brewer who is known for making Chardonnay wines in stainless steel to maintain the grapes in their purest state. He named the wine from the diatomaceous earth found in this region that is composed of much-fossilized plankton. 

The fish had a sweet buttery flavor that is similar to crab or lobster.

Our last course of the evening was a Raspberry Clafouti. This is a French dessert that is baked in a well-buttered dish that is coated with a thick flan-like batter. The clafouti was served warm and dusted with powdered sugar. With it was paired another Rose, this one was a sparkling, from the Languedoc Region of southern France. It tickled our noses with its very tiny bubbles and its strawberry and raspberry goodness flirted with our taste buds. This wine is made from mostly Cabernet grapes that are hand-harvested. This all-organic, no sulfate wine is fermented using the ancestral method. According to Wine Spectator, “the ancestral method is an inexpensive but risky and difficult-to-control method of producing sparkling wine, and almost certainly the oldest, in which the primary fermentation is stopped before completing, and a secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle, ending when the yeast cells deplete the supply of residual sugar. There is no dosage, or sugar added, to kick-start the secondary fermentation, and the wine is not disgorged to remove any sediment or lees remaining afterward.”

It tickled our noses with its very tiny bubbles and its strawberry and raspberry goodness flirted with our taste buds.

We met some great people and a good time was had by all!

If you are thinking of hosting a summer dinner party with friends, I highly recommend trying some of these wines yourself to see how they will fit with your menu. If you need help our culinary team of expert chefs and assistants are hand-selected to shop, cook and clean up for your hosted dinner party. 

Pickling Party Attendees

How to Host a Pickling Party

One of my favorite celebrity chefs is Vivian Howard, who owns the Chef and the Farmer in Kinston, NC. I love her cookbook titled Deep Run Roots, and watched every episode of “ A Chef’s Life”. While scrolling on Facebook recently, I saw a post where she had hosted a pickling party at her home and I just knew I had to host one too! 

I just knew I had to host one too!  

What is a pickle party?

For those who have never been to one or have never pickled food before, it is a group of people who get together to learn how to use mason jars to spice up vegetables and/or preserve their produce to store for consumption for later in the year. These parties often consist of people bringing, vegetables, seasoning, mason jars and sharing recipes. It is a great excuse to get together and is a fun time

Our party turned out to be a huge success, our guests not only had a great time, but the comments to us were things like “I now feel more confident about making pickles at home.” “You should do one of these at a place like Wholefoods!” “I learned a lot and had great fun doing so” “My pickles turned out so yummy” etc.

One of the things that I get excited about is having people gain more food knowledge. Which allows them to feel more self-assured in the kitchen. Whether they are cooking, smoking, grilling, baking or pickling, one of our goals is to help home cooks stretch them from their current culinary comfort zone to reach their potential. We offer videos, recipes and more without a ton of ads, to make your experience more enjoyable.

One of the things that I get excited about is having people gain more food knowledge. Which allows them to feel more self-assured in the kitchen.

We also help home cooks by offering our culinary coaching services for one-on-one, private hands-on learning opportunities. If you want to host a group class we have access to a network of professional chefs who can facilitate a fully cooked meal. And of course, we help you create amazing, fun food experiences like pickling parties!

You may be wondering how difficult it was to put this party together and how did we facilitate all the moving pieces and parts? By reading this post, I will share with you all the dos and don’ts of hosting your own pickling party. 

First things first, think of what you want the outcome of your party to be. Do you want to make new friends, get together with existing friends or family? Do you want your guests to learn to pickle or share their recipes?

think of what you want the outcome of your party to be

Now that you have your objective, it is time to put together a guest list. Depending on the purpose of your party, you can decide how many people you would like to host at your home. Take into consideration the size of the area you have available to handle food preparation. Invite more people than you think will come, the rule is for every 13 people invited 3 or 4 will not be able to attend. 

Take into consideration the size of the area you have available to handle food preparation.

Pick a time that works well, like a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. I did our party on a Sunday afternoon and limited it to three hours. This way my guests did not feel obligated for their entire day and I got everyone out of the house in time for me to clean up and relax a bit on Sunday evening. Once you know who and when then you can decide on an invitation. How would most of your guests want to be notified? 

Once you know who and when then you can decide on an invitation.

Perhaps Facebook is the perfect medium. You can create an event right on your page. The drawback is that you are limited to those people you are Facebook friends with and not everyone checks their Facebook often. So you may want to think about a combination of good old fashioned email and social media.

Facebook will offer you the option to use their design and if you are confident that your group is all checking their feeds regularly so this can then be a good choice for you. Regardless, if you are using Facebook as a stand-alone invitation source or a combination of Facebook and Email you may still want to create your own invitation’s look and feel. I like to use Canva. It gives free access to many basic templates, images, and graphics. It is intuitive and fun to use. 

If you plan to use another social media platform to invite guests such as Instagram please know that their images are shaped differently than Facebook’s. In Canva, therefore, you will have to create two invitations and size them for their appropriate mediums.

Now that you have created an objective for your party, selected your guest list, and designed your invitations, it is time to evaluate your space and think about the flow of your party. Where will your guests prepare the food and where will they convene when not cooking? Where will you serve food? For my spread of appetizers, I pushed my dinette table against a wall and used tripolis to save space. I then created a defined space for my guests to prepare their pickles by adding a wooden table to my already large island. I still placed another small folding table at the end of it. I had fifteen guests, but you may not need as much room.

Next, envision the decor for your pickling party

Next, envision the decor for your pickling party“Shop in your own closet.”  Whoever came up with that one was a genius! I raided my pantry for the rustic wooden storage boxes that normally hold all my staples and I dug out my autumn decor early. My husband, who did not really understand my theme said “you already put out the fall pumpkins? It is still August!” I got creative with raffia and other dollar store items too. The craft stores are also flush with fall items this time of year.

Whenever I have a themed event I start moving things and decorating at least a week before the event date, if not earlier. We just live around the changes and deal with it until the party is over.

One time I did a murder mystery party that required I turn my home into a 1940’s New Orleans style mansion and another party for my husband’s birthday where I turned my home into a Vegas-style casino. Those took weeks to prep for! The pickling party was much easier to set up. 

I decided to give everyone a gift bag. I filled mine with seed packets and labels for the jars, along with some cute fall items I found at the dollar store. I included a few pieces of themed candy such as Cow Tails and Jolly Rancher. But the best gifts inside the bags were some hand-painted garden rocks my neighbor made with her two small children. She included sayings that were about food and gardens.

But the best gifts inside the bags were some hand-painted garden rocks my neighbor made with her two small children. She included sayings that were about food and gardens.

Next up is food planning, not just what do you want to serve but also what will people pickle?

I planned a trip to my local farmer’s market the day before and selected cucumbers, green tomatoes, peppers, green beans, and watermelon. Yes, pickled watermelon rind is a thing and it is delicious!
At the bottom of this post are links to some of the recipes. 

I have been playing with pickle recipes for a couple of months so I decided that I would print out a few easy ones and one that was more advanced for people to try out. I placed the recipes in picture frame holders on the counter. 

I placed the recipes in picture frame holders on the counter. 

A word to the wise, I suggest you stick to the refrigerator style methods of canning. Do not try to sterilize and pressure seal jars with so many people in your kitchen. The boiling water can pose a danger when handling. 

When you are making refrigerator pickles many do require a cooked brine. On the day of the party, I heated a big pot of vinegar and water to a boil then let it warm on the stove. This achieved the desired hot liquid to adequately mix with the spices and kept everyone safe. 

You will need to make available the pickling spices and herbs for all to make the recipes. Make sure you have plenty of utensils such as knives, funnels, peelers and cutting boards. Lots of paper towels and dish towels will be required. You can either supply all items yourself or instruct people to bring their own. I provided everything and just had guests bring their own jars.

Make sure you have plenty of utensils such as knives, funnels, peelers and cutting boards.

Pickled Shrimp was a big hit

I planned a light appetizer menu as my party was after lunchtime and before dinnertime. On the menu, I used items like pickled shrimp and pickled beef sausage. I also made deviled eggs with sweet pickles and anchovies as well as some marinated mushrooms. We had bruschetta with garden tomatoes on toasted pumpernickel bread. I enlisted the help of my husband to smoke some meat on his Kamado Joe grill. I chose a beef brisket since a hearty and or fatty meat pairs well with anything vinegary.

For dessert, I made a cake out of ice cream sandwiches. (Truth be told I forgot to pull it out of the freezer in time for most of my guests to get a serving, oops. Now we will eat this for the entire week). Perhaps a good idea is to plan dessert for forty-five minutes before the party’s scheduled end time. If you have an Amazon Alexa this would be perfect. If not, at least set the microwave or oven timer.

When planning your menu, any type of finger food can work. I did my best to keep the use of dishes to a minimum, sticking to those that could be put in the dishwasher or easily disposed of. For example, I used cupcake liners to hold the deviled eggs. I encouraged people to scoop pickles from the mason jars with designated forks. We used disposable cups for the drinks and lined the tripolis with parchment paper so we could safely place food on all the levels.

We also had a Bloody Mary bar complete with candied bacon, pickled celery, and carrots. We offered a lighter melon style cocktail along with some fizzy seltzer water. I tried using the Mason jars with the spigot built into them but had an issue with the seeds and the horseradish clogging up the spigots. Learn from my mistake, if you do use these be careful of any pulp or seeds in your liquids.

One thought about facilitating the event. Your guests will need instruction when they arrive, so be prepared.  Plan where they can lay down their jars and or other items. Think about how you plan to instruct them or not. Do they have to wash their vegetables? Where will they discard unwanted vegetable ends? Lucky for us a neighbor has chickens. She took all the pieces and parts and her birds had a brightly-colored, smorgasbord-style, Sunday dinner.

Last night, once the clean up was all over and my house turned back into its original state, I played back the party in my mind. I like to think about what went well and what I could have done better (aside from forgetting the dessert). I got lucky enough that some of my guests took photos so that I can share this all with you, however having a designated person to get some photos would have been wise. I did plan a group photo and had the tripod set up, I am so glad of this. 

 Also, I keep my trash under the sink in a small bucket, I could have placed a larger trash can in the kitchen and thought through all the vegetable scraps by having a separate bucket for them instead of the designated, eye-soar of a plastic grocery bag that was easily misplaced. 

As far as social media goes, I should have had everyone use my blog’s hashtag for their photos. Oh well, no one is perfect. 

Today I am receiving messages from my guests sharing how well their pickles turned out. It is always a great sign when you host a party that people keep talking about a day or days after the event ended. This is how you know you have created a real experience.  We can confidently say the objective was achieved and our pickling party was a big hit!

It is always a great sign when you host a party that people keep talking about a day or days after the event ended

Please let us know if you want to host a pickling party or any of our other many fun chef events. We can help you plan and prepare. Or we can send a professional chef to come and cook for your guests to create a dining experience they will talk about for a long time to come. 

Either way, we would love to hear from you and have you share your food experiences with us on Facebook or Instagram.

Happy Pickling! 

Get Pickle Recipes

Pig Luai

A Boat House, a Hawaiian Luau, and Craft Beer

What do a boathouse, a Hawaiian luau, and craft beer have in common? An awesome summertime event at Yacht Club Beverage House located in downtown Youngsville, North Carolina. For those of you who do not know where Youngsville is, it is located approximately 22 miles north of Raleigh, two hours from any ocean water. This area is geographically land-locked and most people wonder why there is a yacht club located there?

Fall of 2018 in little sleepy downtown Youngsville entered Brandon and Stephanie Schenck. This husband and wife duo are the owners of the Yacht Club Beverage House which is quickly becoming branded as YCBH and “the place to be” anywhere North of the city.

Yacht Club Beverage House which is quickly becoming branded as YCBH and “the place to be” anywhere North of the city.

So why the name Yacht Club?

Brandon’s family is originally from the Connecticut area and he wanted to have a taproom that would reflect his heritage. As you enter the early 1900s house which is the home of YCBH you will see ships and maritime flags, as well as many other seafaring items.

Being a southern transplant from a seaside town in Massachusetts this decor makes me feel right at home. Apparently, I am not the only one, as this local downtown Youngsville establishment fills up with patrons nightly. 

Brandon’s family is comprised of other food and beverage folks that we know. His uncle started and grew the popular Rally Point Sports Bar in Cary and sold it a couple of years back. He also opened Dram and Draught which became named as the Best Overall Bar and Best Whiskey Bar in Raleigh by Raleigh Magazine in 2018. They have since expanded to another location in Greensboro, NC.  

Brandon and his wife, although young, are no new-comers to the industry. We met Stephanie years ago when she worked for Plates Neighborhood Kitchen on Glenwood Ave, Raleigh.

With their acquired experience in the food and beverage industry, sharp marketing skills combined with putting in the long hours that are required to run a retail location, they are making a name for themselves! 

The craft beer they serve is always fresh and interesting with a wide variety of tastes for their patrons. You can get everything from a PBR to a Hazy New England IPA. They have a cooler case to select from in case you do not see what you need on draft and you can even get a growler filled if you love something on tap.

You can get everything from a PBR to a Hazy New England IPA.

YCBH hosts food trucks and bands on most weekends and has been known to have some really cool events, like the ax-throwing contest and this most recent event the Hawaiian-style Luau. The outdoor space they share with Charron’s Deli and Scoops on Main is the perfect setting for families to enjoy a dinner outside at one of the many picnic tables.  

On this event day, we showed up early to get a look at this lovely whole hog that would feed all the patrons. It was rightfully the star of the food show, splayed appropriately over hot coals with a colorful Lai.  Our friends from Smokin Souls BBQ and Pick N Pull BBQ tended the hog from before dawn to ensure that his meat would be flavorful and moist.

It was rightfully the star of the food show, splayed appropriately over hot coals with a colorful Lai. 

This smokey-pulled pork was fabulous by 4 PM in the afternoon when I had the opportunity to taste it smothered in a sweet and spicy Eastern North Carolina BBQ sauce. 

It was a great event and a beautiful Carolina day to enjoy a cold, freshly-poured, craft-beer a pulled pork sammie on a hamburger bun at the local Yacht Club!

World Cup 2019

World Cup Drunch

Yes, I said “Drunch” instead of brunch.  This usage of combining the words “drunk” and  “brunch” may sound a little kitschy and if so I will apologize in advance to anyone I may offend. The reason I am choosing to combine the words in jest is that as the 2019 FIFA ladies battled it out for the World Cup it was only 11:00 AM in the United States. Our event kicked off at D’s Bottle Shop at 10:30 AM EST. On this most international of all days in women’s soccer, Darrell and Susan decided to open the shop early and invite our most foodie-of-friends in for brunch. So yes, there was lots of food and beer being poured early on a Sunday morning. For all those who missed church to attend, let’s say a little prayer for forgiveness and move on. 

So yes, there was lots of food and beer being poured early on a Sunday morning.

Watching the game was exciting even from the television monitors, I could not imagine what it was like to be there. These incredibly talented women of football battled it out for the title in Lyon, France. My long-time friend Catherine was in attendance in her hometown along with her family. According to FIFA “ Lyon is widely recognized as a gastronomic paradise, forging an enviable reputation thanks to its renowned ‘bouchons’ – little restaurants serving local delicacies – and the large number of leading chefs who hail from the city.” I am quite sure she enjoyed some wonderful food while she was there. She would have also loved the spread of flavors we had back in the states. 

I wanted to write about this event to mainly tell you about all the amazing food since you already know the outcome of the game. Yes, The United States won over the Netherlands which added even more joviality to the event. We had many people attend, some who knew each other, some who had not seen each other in a while and some who just drifted in. We had families and friends alike, most all toted amazing dishes of food along with them.

Yes, The United States won over the Netherlands which added even more joviality to the event.

Our taste buds were tantalized with a variety of sweet and savory dishes like homemade buttermilk biscuits accompanied by homemade strawberry jam and smoked burnt ends. The creamiest and dreamiest shrimp and grits I have ever tasted.  A French mushroom, spinach and brie frittata, an Italian sausage-pepper -onion frittata, and cheese blintzes. We had sweets too, such as an amazing homemade carrot cake and puff pastry tarts! 

There was so much to taste and enjoy like the spicy sausage balls, a huge pan of lovely fried bacon, a bright fruit salad with kiwi, berries, and pineapple. Every kind of bagel and cream cheese offering you can think of and donuts that I enjoyed even the next day. The best hotels in town do not even put out a brunch spread as ample as ours was!

Dishes of wonderful food kept being added to the table all morning, even beyond what I had accounted for.

Dishes of wonderful food kept being added to the table all morning, even beyond what I had accounted for. If I missed mentioning your dish please know it was not intentional, it was that I was deep in a food coma and a couple of beers in, all while trying to take photos, entertain and watch the game. In full disclosure, I am not a morning person, I would have preferred to hold this event at 2:00 PM in the afternoon, however, I do not suppose the Fédération Internationale de Football Association would move the time to accommodate my biorhythm. 

I also wanted to write this post to acknowledge all the people who shopped, cooked, enjoyed, toted, tasted, cleaned up and worked to make this another fun food event!

Give yourselves a pat on the back for good sportsmanship or since I am making up words in this post, Sportswomanship!

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The Whiskey and Beef Dinner

We are big fans of beer and we have lived in the Wake Forest area of NC for several years but much to the surprise of our beer-drinking friends we had never visited Real McCoys. This place is known for its large beer selection, full bar, and food service until late into the night. The name is cool but we wondered where it was derived from. A source told us that the original founder of the establishment’s first name was Coy. Good play on the name- well done!

This place is known for its large beer selection, full bar, and food service until late into the night.


Looking at the Untappd app we could see that they had many beers that both my husband and I would enjoy. We pulled into their parking lot on Memorial Day Saturday to finally check it out.  It was not too busy as most people in this area scramble for the coast to enjoy the first great beach weekend of the season.

None the less we were greeted by an energetic and enthusiastic staff, who was eager to have us explore the beer selection and try their infused vodka and Bloody Mary mix. Which by the way was so wonderful, I went back the next day for one.

While we were enjoying our refreshments they told us about an upcoming whiskey/bourbon pairing dinner to which they were selling tickets. We jumped right on that train and purchased two seats for the upcoming event.

The evening of the event we were greeted by Ben Thomas who is one of the new owners. He had entered into the business approximately eight months ago. My understanding is that Ben has lots of experience in the bar business. Been explained to us that this was the first in a series of dinners he hopes to provide that will educate the patrons on spirits and food. He introduced the co-hosts for the evening, one representing the spirits we would imbibe and the other was the beef purveyor. He also introduced us to our server for the evening who was wonderfully attentive.

The first surprise of the evening was the first drink, it was not a bourbon or whiskey, but rather a vodka. Served in a tall glass with ice was a Wheatley Vodka Gimlet. I was skeptical at first and so were my fellow diners. Ben assured us it would all be made clear in just a few moments, and it was. Apparently this vodka was special and tied to whiskey because it is aged in whiskey barrels. Ah… that made sense. Its smokiness and bite paired beautifully with the first course which was a sirloin steak egg roll cooked perfectly by Chef Eddie. My hopes were up for the rest of the evening!

Apparently this vodka was special and tied to whiskey because it is aged in whiskey barrels.

Chef Eddie took a moment out from his duties in the kitchen to introduce himself to us. He was perfectly quaffed, pressed chef uniform and a wonderful smile. He was modest in front of the group and let us know his culinary credentials. Along with that, he explained he is from Kentucky which we all know is where you can tour the Bourbon Trail.

Speaking of the Bourbon Trail for those who do not yet know all of the details of this adventure, I am doing the research so my husband and I can make the trip. Stay tuned for a blog post all about it upon our return.  From what I can tell, the tours are similar to some that we have been on in wine country. They are well prepared with tour transports to move you from one place to another and how many you visit all comes down to how much time you have. I would imagine some of the lengths of the tour you select will depend on how much tolerance for alcohol you have.

 From what I can tell, the tours are similar to some that we have been on in wine country

The official start of the Bourbon Trail is in the State’s capital, Louisville at the Frazier Museum. In Louisville, you can experience Michter’s Fort Nelson Distillery, Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, Old Forester Distilling Co., Angel’s Envy Distillery, Rabbit Hole and Bullet. Or if you are pressed for time skip straight to Bardstown so you can experience Heaven Hill, Four Roses, Makers Mark, Lux, Jim Beam, and others. For those more adventurous bourbon drinkers, there are many craft distilleries in the Northern parts of the state too.

Back to the Steak and Whiskey Dinner at Real McCoys. Our next pairing was a Jefferson’s Reserve Pritchard Hill Sherry with Asian BBQ Grilled Sirloin, Balsamic-Glazed Brussels Sprouts, and Jasmine Rice.  While we ate we listened to the beef purveyor tell us all about the cuts of beef and where it is sourced from. We learned that this particular beef farm only uses white cows. The reason is cows do not like to be hot and the black cows attract the sun and make them uncomfortable. Apparently the white cows are happier cows and happier cows make better meat.

We learned that this particular beef farm only uses white cows.

Our next pairing was the main course of a perfectly cooked Prime Rib of Beef served with a side of mashed sweet potato and locally-sourced, lemon broccoli and to sip with this lovely plate was a Pikesville Rye. We filled our bellies on the nicely-salted medium-rare red meat and sipped on the rye. I started to fall into a warm food coma. The representative from the distilleries was taking us through some of the finer points of distilling and the differences in grains used in the process. He fielded our questions and told us that he had a very special whiskey up next that has a wonderful story. He would be showing us a short film about the whiskey and its deep American history. We could not wait!

We filled our bellies on the nicely-salted medium-rare red meat and sipped on the rye.

Ben checked in to see how things were going and asked if we were enjoying the evening he and his staff had prepared for us. To which we all replied a unanimous “yes”!  He said not only will we be tasting this next special whiskey but it would be served with a chocolate whiskey cake. What makes this story even better is that the cake was not prepared by his chef, but rather his catering manager, Missy. He said he discovered by accident a few months back, that Missy was a fantastic baker. You see, she found out that no one made Ben a cake for his Birthday and she kindly surprised him. That day he was blown away at how good it really was and deemed her the official pastry chef for the restaurant. Missy still manages catering too so make sure you reach out to her if you are looking for a spread for your next event. Be sure you order something sweet from her too or you will be missing out on what I thought was the best cake I have had in a long time. Yes, and I bake.

He said not only will we be tasting this next special whiskey but it would be served with a chocolate whiskey cake.

I have made you wait in anticipation long enough. Now I want to share the story of the wonderful Tennessee whiskey that we enjoyed with Missy’s chocolate-whiskey cake topped with a whiskey ganache. It was called Uncle Nearest and the film told a story that goes like this: Uncle Nearest, born as Nathan Green, was the first African-American Master Distiller on record in the United States. He was born a slave and was later a free man. Nathan worked on a farm for a preacher making whiskey. A young orphaned boy came to live in the house with the preacher and was curious about what Nathan did. He taught the young man everything he knew and that young boy grew up to be known as Jack Daniels. Now Uncle Nearest’s whiskey is being independently sold. According to the website Caskers, this handcrafted whiskey is distilled using an 11-step, 25-day process and a bespoke charcoal filtration method. It was named “1 of the Top Five Whiskeys in the World” by the Cigar & Spirits Magazine in 2018

Uncle Nearest, born as Nathan Green, was the first African-American Master Distiller on record in the United States.

This whiskey was 100 proof and the color of a beautiful rich-wood and on the tongue a slight taste of spice that ends with maple and caramel. I took my first sip but had to add an ice cube as my brown liquor palate is not yet as sophisticated as this whiskey. Once I had a cube in the glass I was 100% involved in the sips that accompanied Missy’s chocolate cake.

What a wonderful evening; we were entertained, educated while satiating our palates with rich beef and wonderful spirits. Thank you to Ben, his co-hosts, and his amazing staff for creating a wonderful evening out. We can not wait for the next one. I will keep you posted on social media as soon as I get wind of it! Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for the update.

Pop-Up Cider Donuts

Cider Donuts Pop-Up With Mama Crockett’s

I love a “pop-up” anything from a shoe sale to a brunch. Advertise a pop-up event and I will be there. When I saw a Facebook post for a pop-up donut truck called, Mama Crockett’s that was coming to my little town, I wanted to show up, support this entrepreneurial venture, and see what the hype was all about.

Based on the name, I expected to roll up and see an older, southern, country-woman making or selling her donuts. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

As I pulled into the parking lot I saw the cutest little aqua-colored trailer with a huge black logo of a woman’s face on the side, apparently the profile of Mama Crockett. As I approached the trailer I heard speakers blasting out these really cool vibes.  I was a little confused as this did not seem like the music genre choice for a little old mama. In the past, I have heard older people grooving to the tunes of Etta James or Patsy Cline but not this hip jam! Rarely do little, old ladies listen to music at that decibel level, unless of course, they are hard of hearing.

Instead of seeing a gray-haired, frock-wearing, elderly woman in the trailer, I observed two young men moving very quickly inside prepping, cooking and boxing the donuts. Maybe these were her grandsons? After all, I have seen the resurgence of young people in the culinary world who are carrying on their parents or grandparents legacy. We recently tasted some great barbeque prepared by two pre-teen boys at a BBQ competition. They aptly named their company Pappy’s Legacy in honor of their grandfather competed before them.

Assuming this was the case with Mama Crockett, I abandoned all my preconceived notions and settle into the fact that I was about to experience something a bit different than I had originally thought. When I asked about who owned the company I was introduced to a very nice third young man who informed me that he and his partner own it together. So who is Mama Crockett I wondered? The owner offered me a free cider slushie, I thought why not! I am still a little confused after all what is a cider slushie? One sip gave me a basis for everything I would need to know about Mama Crockett’s. Apparently, they own a cider press facility and every day the cider is pressed fresh, ergo the premise for the cider donuts and the cider slushies. This tart and sweet beverage tasted so cool and refreshing that I may have to figure out how to recreate this drink. (Sorry I sucked this drink down and did not get a photo, but trust me you want to try this.)

As I sipped, I gave the menu a quick glance to figure out the donut flavor choices and scanned the prices. It appears that there are only two flavors offered cinnamon sugar or maple sugar. The price was reasonable, thirteen dollars for a mixed dozen. I ordered two dozen, one for us and one for my husband’s office.

Who doesn’t love a good fresh cider donut? These round, deep-fried pastries did not disappoint. The cake style donuts are made with that freshly-pressed cider added right to the dough. In my opinion, this made the donut itself less sweet than most perhaps even added a bit of tartness. While they are still hot from the oil, these little lovelies are rolled and covered in a mixture of cinnamon sugar, or maple sugar. This gave the savory donuts just enough crispness and sweetness to excite my palate.

I later read that they are from Lynchburg Virginia where they have a storefront. Can you say road trip? It would be totally worth it!  I also read that Mama Crockett’s name and logo are a bit of a mystery. Maybe just some great marketing, who knows? I enjoy good quality, interesting food and also appreciate good marketing, so all is well with me and Mama Crockett’s cool brand. Check them out next time they roll through your town or get over to Lynchburg, maybe I will see you there!

A Spring BBQ Contest

A Spring BBQ Contest and a Pig Pickin

It is springtime in the south and nothing says spring has arrived better than the number of outdoor fun-filled, food events in March.  We started the month by attending Jimbo’s Annual BBQ competition. It is held just up the road from me at Stonewall Farm. The proceeds from the event in 2018 went to Operation HomeFront helping local military veterans. This year 2019 it will go to Carolina Calvary who was formed to help the NC hurricane victims.

We thought we would pop in for a quick pulled-pork sandwich since we had reservations for dinner later that night. Ha, lol, let me tell you that for a mere $20.00 donation we sampled over 20 types of bbq goodness. Sample sizes were large enough to plate a full sandwich. We decided as soon as we tasted the first sample that canceling dinner reservations that evening would be a wise decision.

It wasn’t just lots of food, it was really good quality BBQ. This is a pitmaster competition to outdo the other contestants for the accolades and small cash awards that come along with them for the best smoked pork, chickens, ribs, and brisket. These people were serious and it showed. Many had to arrive up to 30 hours ahead of time to set up and start their cook.

They had all kinds of camping trailers, fire pits, music, lights and outdoor kitchen set ups. We saw blenders, food processors, cleavers and some serious chopping blocks. They came as families with their kids, spouses and even some four legged friends. At one of the set-ups called Pappy’s Legacy BBQ out of Four Oaks, NC we realized it was two young teen boys who smoked the delicious pulled pork. They do this to honor their grandpa and apparently, they are not novices to this circuit. Their mom was present, but in the background to supervise from afar. Their BBQ was very good and there is no doubt in my mind that these boys will have their own cooking show one day.

The smell that was wafting through the entire event was incredible. If you have ever smoked anything you know the aroma that one grill produces. Now multiply that by 36. What they were using to smoke was very different from each other while some mixed the woods, others used no wood at all – just charcoal. Some were smoked on more traditional smoker grills and we even saw contestants that had 50-gallon drums turned upright with cool paint on them.

We had the opportunity to chat with the pitmasters about their techniques and equipment they use to learn why they selected it. We got to hear how vested they are in this competition. One man told us that it cost him $1000.00 to be there. A few were being sponsored by charcoal companies and some by the companies that make the sauce and rubs. It was fascinating for me to learn about this subculture.

Aside from all the amazing pulled pork we also had chicken wings, brisket, slaw, and some greens. We drank craft beer from a local brewery and listened to some great live music. We made our way around the event and stopped at some vendors selling their handmade wares. I bought a welcome sign for the front of my house. We were so full when we got home, we did not move from the couch. Looks like the big winners, were Fat-Heads BBQ, Smoke ‘n’ Barrels and North Meets South.

All in all, it was a great time and we will be going back next year for sure!

Two weeks later it was time to attend another outdoor event. This time the weather was milder and the sun was bright. This was tailgate/pig-pickin to celebrate with our friends for the 4th-year business anniversary of D’s Bottle Shop. The guest of honor (the pig) arrived already smoking on the grill being pulled by a pickup. I love the south! (sorry I was not there early enough to get the picture of it before it was hacked up.)

Dee and Allison were busy chopping Q all afternoon while Susan and Russ poured beer with a smile for all the guests. The live music was played by Lake Chamberlain. Our friend, John, is in the band. I got some video of them and they were fun to watch and listen to.
People danced and relaxed in the sun, filled their bellies with pulled pork sandwiches with slaw (I made an Eastern NC vinegar based BBQ sauce to share) and my friend Aaron made his amazing fermented BBQ sauce (I hope one day he will share the recipe with us).  

All in all, it was a great way to start the spring season with full tummies, good memories, daylight savings, warmer days, blooming flowers and outdoor fun food events.

Fall is for Fairs

It’s that time of year when the annual Marshfield Fair happens. This is a popular local fair where all the Massachusetts farmers get to show off their agricultural skills & compete to win for the best pumpkins, pigs, and honey.  This is also a day when we as attendees get a pass to eat ANYTHING fried. 

I’ve been coming here ever since I was a tween. The fair always felt so big, like there were endless rides, games & food vendors. Of course what always caught my eye was the delicious street food. As a child I enjoyed the rides. Especially anything that went upside down or lost gravity, I would have to get on! The day would always end with candy apple or some cotton candy.

As I walked through the entrance gates this year, that amazing smell of fried peppers & onions cooking brought me right back. Although over the years the cost of everything has inflated. Just to park and get through the gates costs us $30.00. We walked around for a bit, had a snack or two but to my disappointment, nothing tasted as I had remembered. At first, I thought “am I simply too old to enjoy the fair anymore?” Has my palate become too sophisticated for simple fair food? 

I was seeking out those fries, where you can watch the vendor put a whole potato in the slicer, drop it in the deep fryer and serve it to you so hot they would burn your mouth. Not this time around. I ordered hand cut fries but they were served from a basket that had been sitting under a warmer. Looking around almost all the vendors had pre-cooked their food and it was sitting under the warmers. Yuk! Very disappointing.

In all my culinary explorations, I have never tried a fried candy bar. You know the ones everyone raves about, served on a stick. Today was the day I decided I had to least try it once. Well… let’s just say the craze did not live up to the hype. I got a fried 3-Musketeers bar, it was okay, no wow factor- melted candy bar in tempura batter. A least I know what I’m not missing. LOL.

The whole fair experience was not a complete bust. I did have a great Raspberry-Lime Rickey from a local vendor. For those readers that are from New England, if you remember Brigham’s Ice Cream they made the best. The ingredients consist of raspberry syrup, lime juice & seltzer water. So simple but so refreshing. Overall it was a good day, I enjoyed the farm displays of vegetables and seeing all the animals. I watched the lumberjacks show off their skills and bought some good local honey.

The Salsa Contest

The Salsa Contest 2018

 

Some of my favorite foodie friends and I decided what a better way to say goodbye to summer than to hold a salsa contest.

With, salsa you need some kind of vehicle to hold the salsa and some way to taste it properly. Yes, tortilla chips are a fabulous vehicle however so are tacos. I made pineapple-mango salsa and also a traditional fresh tomato salsa. I just knew that a shrimp taco would compliment the spicy, tropical flavor of pineapple mango salsa and the smoked chicken would be great with both of them.

While smoking the chickens, I got the idea to smoke the shrimp too and what a great decision that was.

This is my new favorite way to eat shrimp.

Of course, when we cook we make plenty to share so we made two birds and two pounds of shrimp.All of the salsas entered were excellent and I was a bit worried that mine would not be good enough for a win. But after all the votes were tallied my pineapple mango took 3rd place. Second place was a very spicy salsa and third was a smokey layered salsa.

More important was the fun and fellowship that food creates. It is a common bond that brings us all together.

 

 

 

 

Nicole and Jan Cook Asian

Neither I or Nicole have any ties to the Asian community except through food. We both love sushi, pho, wontons, spring rolls and just about any Asian dish you can think of. We thought it would be fun to use one of our coveted three days visiting together to not just enjoy this cultural food that is rich in flavor and steeped in tradition, but to prepare it and share it with the For the Love of Food readers.

I have never prepared my own sushi, but Nicole has several times and with her culinary background I assume that somewhere in her classes she must have been taught this art of rolling the rice, fish, and vegetables. I was not so daring as you will see in the videos. I wimped out and used what is called the Sushi Cube. I bought it at Whisk (a fabulous kitchen store in my community). It basically lets you stuff all the items for your sushi inside this little box and presses it into a cute little bit sized cube. Great for creating bite-sized appetizers, making sushi with kids or for a beginner sushi cook like me.

All of us including my husband love fresh spring rolls with a peanut sauce so we were sure to include this on the menu for the evening. We have a video and recipe for the spring rolls and a recipe for the peanut sauce. Get the recipes by clicking the button at the bottom of this blog article. 

We also added to the menu two kinds of Asian curry: one yellow and one green. I made both using a special curry mix I found in the cultural market.  Much to my surprise, we all liked the yellow curry the best. I wonder if it was because I made that one with the chicken thigh meat that lends its fat to flavor to whatever you’re cooking. The second green curry was made using the chicken breast. I will share a photo of each.  We cooked white basmati rice to serve with the curries.

To finish off the meal we stirred up and froze some fabulous ingredients that would become homemade coconut ice-cream. This came together with just three ingredients and we did not use an ice-cream maker. This was simplicity at its best! Truth be told we were so full after the meal we did not eat the ice-cream that night however, but Nicole were sure to eat it for breakfast the next morning. Hey, don’t judge us! It was almost a smoothie. I will include the recipe we used as it was very tasty!

All in all our Asian meal was a success with lots of leftover curry and rice that Rob took to reheat for his work lunch. We also saved a ton of money since going out for a great a sushi lunch can run Nicole and me almost $100. We fed all three of us more than just sushi and had leftovers for Rob’s lunch and our breakfast for much less than $100.00. In addition, I learned how to roll the sushi, we got to spend quality time together and share our recipes and experience with you our readers.