Charlotte’s Taste of the Nation

This past Wednesday, I had an incredible opportunity to see Taste of the Nation – Charlotte, in full action.  This wonderful event is one of the several chapters tied to the main foundation, Share Our Strength.  When there, I had met up with several foodie friends IN REAL LIFE.  You see, we writers get caught behind a computer screen all too often or behind the scenes via Twitter and other social networking programs.  Top it off with being a parent… you get the idea.

 

So how was this event?  It was really amazing.  Seeing so many people supporting a great cause was worth it alone.  I went around and snapped pictures before I dove in to try the food.  Yes, I know, you must think that I’m crazy, but it’s wise to take pictures first and eat later.  Proof? The one time I tried to hold both the camera and a sample of soup…Let’s just say that I nearly spilled the soup all over the back of the camera.  Lesson be learned!

The event went off without a hitch!  VIP hour began at 6pm, and it was already off to the races with trying all of the food and lovely libations.  No shortage of wine, I assure you!  If I didn’t have to drive, I would have been eager to taste some myself!  I savored a glass of champagne from the VIP room and the food to go with it.  If you are a wine connoisseur, this is event you would have enjoyed.  The variety of wines that you can sample… uh, more like DRINK, was amazing.  Not a wine drinker?  PLENTY of other options from the entertaining mixologists!

I know what you’re asking… How was the food? And which restaurant was my favorite?  OK, so I loved a LOT of items that were served, but I do have a favorite.  Not from a restaurant!  Our very well loved culinary school – Johnson & Wales!  They had served a fresh tuna dish with a savory glaze on the plate and greens.  YUM!  Thinking about it, I wish I had some more right about now.  Another fare that I enjoyed, Georges Brassiere’s salmon dish; light and delicate and very delicious.  Enso had Wagyu Tacos that were out-of-this-world very creative and full of flavor.  Definitely a place I need to hit one day soon with my husband.  (Hear that Hub?)

Lastly, the event had many wonderful donations for the silent auction.  I didn’t stick around to see the winners, but I did see the items up for bid.  If you didn’t have a chance to support this foundation this year, definitely plan for next!  The donations were very generous and the monies raised all went toward a GREAT cause!  Did any of you see the auction take place?  I was thoroughly amused with this because who can resist watching Bea Thompson at the event?  She was a hoot!  Not to mention a great spokesperson for the event itself.

Thank you all who were able to attend and support Taste of the Nation - Charlotte 2012!  I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I had!

Cheers!

Rhubarb Mocha Banana Bread

I sat here for a few minutes trying to think of a title for this bread.  I am not satisfied in this name, but as they say today… “I’ve got nothing.”  Or is it “nuttin’?”  Either way, this bread is packed full of ingredients and really wasn’t too difficult to make.  The key ingredients that you will find important are:

• Whole Wheat Flour
• Mocha Powder (Sweet)
• Rhubarb
• Bananas

My daughter helping chop!

Of course there are many other items involved in the bread…

Ella smashing bananas!

Don’t you love the name “rhubarb?”  It has a funny ring to it, lovely in color and has a unique taste.  My husband likes to rename oddly spelled food items.  This is one of them; said “r-hoo-barb.”  Just like herbs.  “H-erbs” with the “h” pronounced.  I hope we’re not the only oddballs out there that do this.  What names do you reprounounce into a crazy fashion?  Forget it with wines, that’s an easy target alone.

Hannah dredging chocolate chips

So, how did it taste? Incredible!  I am chowing on a bite as I type… It has a perfect balance of chocolate, banana and then this little punch of flavor throughout with the rhubarb.  In fact, I’m now a bigger fan of this more than traditional chocolate banana bread!  Guess I know what I’m eating for lunch.

Ingredients:

• 6 Tbsp. of softened butter
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract (or imitation)
• 1/4 cup of 2% (or less) milk
• 2 overripe bananas
• 4 small stalks of ripe rhubarb
• 1 3/4 cup of King Arthur Whole Wheat flour
• 1/2 cup of Starbucks’ Mocha Powder
• 2 Tbsp. baking powder
• ground sea salt (a few twists of freshly cracked)
• 1/4 cup of chopped dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Grease bread pan.  In large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time until smooth.  Add in the vanilla, milk and bananas and mix together.  Set aside.  Take rhubarb and chop into small bits.  Place rhubarb in a fry pan and sprinkle a little sugar on top. Over medium heat, stirring periodically, heat up the rhubarb and sugar and until softened and a light pink color.  Remove from heat and let cool.  In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. (flour, mocha powder, baking powder and salt)  Going back to the rhubarb, mix the warm mix into the banana mixture.  Slowly stir in the dry mix into the wet ingredients and beat until well blended.  Do not mix too much, as you don’t want to puree the bananas.  In a little bowl, dredge the chocolate chip bits in flour and then stir into the chocolate batter.  Pour into bread pan and bake for 1 hour to an hour and 10 minutes.

Oatmeal Creme Cake Bites

As a child, my Mom’s definition of a sweet treat was keeping cheap boxed sweets in the house.  (Sorry Mom, but you did!)  I fell in love with Little Debbie’s the most, which was either the chocolate roll cakes or the Oatmeal Creme Pies.  First of all, why WERE they called pies??? It’s a stuffed cookie isn’t it?

 

My kids know nothing about how these treats taste, and I “try” to keep it that way.  I did eventually break down and buy this box that you see pictured.  It was the first box in 15+ years that I’ve had in our house.  Wow, how time flies!  So, of course, my kids were doing a happy dance when Mommy actually BOUGHT a box.  They tore into them and quickly gobbled up 4 “pies.”  Seriously?? Of course, when I looked at the calories, I was grateful that they are just kids and have metabolisms at the speed of light.  Me?  Ok, I had a pie.  Just to be reminded why I bake.  And I was.

HOWEVER!  If you smash these “pies” up and roll them, they magically make a perfect cake ball.  Go figure!  So, I rolled them in some Wilton candy melts, using the green chocolate, because it’s close to St. Patrick’s Day, and let dry.  They were ready in 10 minutes, start to finish.  This crazy simple recipe is definitely one that I recommend you let your kids try out.  Let them make a mess!  It’s OK, really!  The smashing up was my favorite part, but then again, I love destruction from time to time.

The taste? SWEEEET and yet, I had to have another—>the next day of course.  I am watching my girly figure!  Of course, the kids loved these sweet treats, and the smart parent that I am, let them pass out the cake bites to the neighbors kids too.  Get these addicting sweet treats out of my house!

While I liked making these for the kiddos I found that you can really decorate them nicely (think blue or purple chocolate) for a party! They are fast to create which is ideal when pinched for time.

Enjoy!  

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! “Pink Ink” and more

Every year I enjoy celebrating Dr. Seuss’s birthday by reading his books and making crafty food with the kids.  I am always amazed with what I find on the internet regarding this “holiday.”  Pinterest has so many wonderful creations, that I tend to refer there first for new ideas.  Last year, I had made the Cat in the Hat Hat’s and the Crazy Bark.  This year, I have made Thing One and Thing Two Oreo Cookies, “Pink Ink” and Hop on Pop Popcorn!  I hope you enjoy!

“Pink Ink” Smoothie

• Frozen berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries)
• Fresh strawberries
• Banana
• Milk
• Honey
• Vanilla Yogurt (optional)

Blend desired amounts together and enjoy!

Hop on Pop Popcorn:

• Fresh popped popcorn
• Wilton Candy Melts (Blue, Red and White)

Lay popcorn on waxed paper on baking sheet.  Drizzle chocolate all over popcorn.  Break apart and enjoy!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

Thing One and Thing Two…

“I will pick up the hook. You will see something new.  Two things.  And I call them Thing One and Thing Two.  These Things will not bite you.  They want to have fun.”

“Then, out of the box Came Thing Two and Thing One!” ~The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss

I have seen some creative and playful food ideas that tie in with Thing One and Thing Two.  I’ve seen cupcakes with frosting piled way way way high.  And some with blue cotton candy, reaching high in the sky.  So what did I do to create similar fun? I made my very own Thing Two and Thing One.

And now… back to regular programming.  :)

Ingredients:

• Wilton candy melts (Blue, Red and White)
• Vanilla Oreo Cookies
• Baggies or pastry bag for piping

Method:

Thing One and Thing Two are dipped Oreo cookies, the vanilla cookie variety.  I dipped the one side into red chocolate (Wilton candy melts) and let them chill in the freezer until solid.  Next I dipped the top into white chocolate and piped on white chocolate to give a good base for the final layer.  Chill in the freezer so the chocolate is stable.  Complete the crazy blue hair with blue chocolate (Wilton candy melts) by piping on the top in swirls until piled high.  Chill one final time in the freezer to set Thing One and Thing Two up.

These bad boys are definitely fitting for their playful personality and ruckus that they caused in the book!

“That is That!”

 

A Sweet Tooth Wonderland

This weekend, I had a blissful afternoon, shared with many other sweet tooth fanatics, at Charlotte’s very first Sweet Tooth Festival!  OH happy day!  It was amazing to see so many vendors showing off their beautiful confections to the public, all under one roof.  Truly, it doesn’t get any better than that.  (Well… hanging out at a beach with a cocktail in hand, and the kids splashing in the water might top that… but now we’re comparing apples to oranges; or maybe a whole fruit basket!)

What was this event all about?  No, it wasn’t some yuppy stuffy group of people all dining in their fine clothes. (Although, that can be fun at times.) HA!  Everyone was hanging out in comfortable clothes, chowin’ on sweets!!  And why?  This is the best part!  A portion of the proceeds went to support the Joe Martin ALS Foundation.  So, yesterday, we ate for a cause.  Darn… tough job!  But someone has to do it!

I know what you are going to ask me first.  Did I have a favorite vendor?  Truthfully, I am biased and have a couple of favorites; and seeing them at the festival, I felt complete assurance that I was going to love what I was about to sample.  I was right.  My favorite vendors, to this day remain tops on my list.  You have to read the rest to catch my favs!

Who was there?

• Birdie Buffets
• Cakes By Meredith
• Cakes by Tersey
• Caribou Coffee
• Cupcrazed Cakery
• Delightful Decadence
• Dove Chocolate Discoveries
• Front Porch Ice Cream
• Fumanchu Cupcakes
• Hot Sugar Confections
• Kai’s Kookies & More
• MJ’s Sugarshack
• Savory Spice Shop
• Sky’s the Limit Custom Cakes & More
• Suzi Skinny Cakes
• Sweet Elations
• The Secret Chocolatier
• The Southern Gourmet
• Vin Master
• Yoforia

WHEW!!! What a list, and it’s a good darn thing that I had been given a “goodie box.”  They definitely prepared for us to eat everything, but thankfully, not all at one time.

OK…. ok. My favorites:

Since I am a chocolate lover, NATURALLY I went straight for The Secret Chocolatier.  They had a super smooth chocolate mousse that just melted in the mouth, as well as a vanilla bean truffle to top it off.  Have you tried their truffles from their store yet?  If not, you are truly missing out on chocolate perfection.

Cupcrazed has always been near and dear to my heart before Heather even had her shop.  This lady can cook a mean cupcake!  Did you know she recently won on Cupcake wars?? How cool!  Now I personally know a celebrity!  Truthfully, I don’t get hung up on celebs, as they are people too, and tie their shoes just like I do.  :)  Heather is crazy about baking, and I love that about her.  She’s always creating some pretty amazing flavors that just “wow” the customers.  Have you heard about the “Firefly Cupcake?”  Yea… ask her!

I really enjoyed Cakes By Meredith!! My sister (who had the fortune to sample my take-home samples) said her cupcake was by far the best.  I had to agree it was pretty incredible!  Meredith, you are on your way, lady! Your cakes truly pop in flavor and I was having a hard time deciding which one I wanted to sample!

Delightful Decadence is the final favorite sweet tooth maker on my list.  Why?  These amazing ladies took baking to a unique style and created everything in mini size portions.  Perfect for a bite and go!  They stood out because they didn’t make cupcakes!  (I love all of you cupcake makers!! I DO!!)  These ladies are about to graduate and are already hitting the road with fantastic desserts.  I had the Bananas Foster… I want more.  Right now.  Ladies, I look forward to seeing how your business takes off the next year! You can reach them via Twitter on @dddesserts1, or contact them email at: dddesserts1@gmail.com

As for all of the other vendors?

Suzi Skinny Cakes had a cool concept of using vegetables to hold together the cakes to keep the calories down and keep the cake healthy.  Flavor?  Nothing missing!  It was ALL good.

The Southern Gourmet had this impressive Thyme Cupcake.  I think they could have infused more thyme in the cake itself, but I’m a strong flavor kind of gal.  The combination was really well balanced in the cupcake.

FuManChu Cupcakes had some seriously zesty cakes at their display! I liked this group, as they were a bit unorthodox in the cake making world. I opted for the blueberry cupcake and it reminded me of a muffin only sweeter!  Check them out online and see the crazy awesome concoctions they have come up with!

Lastly, Hot Sugar Confections… think of this: Ginger Bourbon Cupcakes.  Need I say more?  A tad bit sweet for me, but their concept of their cupcakes have hit my radar!  I love what they are doing, and can’t wait what else they have on their creation list!! Ladies, you did an excellent job!!

The entire show was a big success, and I can tell that everyone enjoyed the variety of confections that were available to sample.  Everything was just beautiful, including the choice of location – Blacklion on Park Rd.  What better way to finish eating some sweets, then to have visual beauty of crafty and creative vendors in the shops of the store itself.  I am already looking forward to next year’s affair!

*Image courtesy of Sweet Tooth Festival

Nutella Nanaimo Bars

Nanaimo bars… no, it’s not pronounced “NAN-i-mo.”  Though I see where that comes from!  It’s actually pronounced “Nu-NA-mo,” and has derived from the city itself, in British Columbia.  What is not to love about this dessert?!?  Three layers of sweet deliciousness, and no baking required!  You can see the appeal of this treat already!

I chose to go with my sweet tooth diet, and used a recipe (adapted from Tasty Kitchen) that added Nutella in the middle layer.  The chocolate lover in me couldn’t resist… Sorry!

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of salted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 5 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1-1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup toasted, chopped hazelnuts
• 6 Tbsp. Nutella
• 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 4 oz bar of Bittersweet chocolate

Directions:

Bottom Layer

Melt 1 stick  of butter, sugar and cocoa on top of a double boiler. Add the beaten egg and stir to cook until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. (You will see a definitely change in texture, very smooth and thick.)  Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8×8 pan, and chill until no longer warm to the touch.

Middle Layer

Combine Nutella with 6 tablespoons of softened butter until thoroughly combined. Add confectioners sugar and mix until it’s well blended. Spread it evenly on top of the bottom layer, and chill for 30 minutes.

Top Layer

Melt bittersweet chocolate and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat in a double boiler. Cool slightly. Once cool, pour over the middle layer and chill until top layer is firm.

Cut into squares and eat!!