Beaver Creek Food and Wine Weekend 2014: Grand Tasting

One of the primary reasons we went to Beaver Creek last week (besides to ski) was to attend the Beaver Creek Food & Wine Weekend, sponsored by Food & Wine Magazine.  We'd been to the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen which was an amazing experience and thought it'd be fun to attend one of their "satellite" events.  

The Beaver Creek event is structured completely differently where you buy a ticket for each event.  We bought tickets to the Grand Tasting on the final day, and to be honest, it was a little bit disappointing.  Perhaps it's because we've been to other Grand Tastings that were phenomenal AND cost less.

Our 2 big issues with this one:  

1. Much of the food was underseasoned, oversalted, overcooked, difficult to eat (no knife to cut a piece of lamb T-bone), or super boring (come on Tim Love - carrot home-fries???).
2. The wine and spirits vendors that participated were lacking -- the nicest wines there were Silver Oak and Twomey but that was about it . . .

To us, the standouts food-wise were:

• Naomi Pomeroy's Brussel Sprouts & Lamb Salad (My favorite!  I loved it so much that I e-mailed her at the restaurant to get the recipe, and she sent it to me!)
• Fabio Viviani's Potato Gnocchi
• David Burton Sanchez's Apple Ginger Smoked & Braised Pork Belly

I'm glad we went to the event, but we likely won't go back -- I mean, we'll go back to ski in Beaver Creek (it's awesome that they hand out chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon!) but not for the Food & Wine Weekend.  

Perhaps I can convince fellow blog contributor the grandcruman to go to the Cayman Cookout hosted by Chef Eric Ripert next January.  Everyone could use a beach vacation in Jan!

Fireworks!

New Year's Eve 2012

 

 

What an amazing spread of food we had for New Year's Eve, thanks to my amazing co-hostesses!  Thanks to you all, especially Nichelle for hosting at her house! 

 

Just as a reminder for next New Year's Eve (and future parties), here's a record of everything that we made . . . and perhaps ideas for your next party!

 

Appetizers

• Pineapple Chipotle Guacamole
• Shrimp & Avocado Cocktail
• Caprese Salad Skewers
• Spinach Cheese Quiche
• Fruit Tray
• Veggie Tray
• Meat & Cheese Tray
• Chips & Salsa
• Sausage Balls
• Spinach Dip
• Blazin' Cajun Dip
• Parmesan Truffle Popcorn (well, we almost had this!)
• Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
• Three-Cheese Mini Macs

Desserts

• Salted Caramel Mousse
• Double Chocolate Brownies
• Rum Balls
• Rice Krispie Treats - plain and also dipped in mint chocolate
• Carrot Cake Cake Balls (uh, forgot these in our fridge. . . oops!)
• Spicy Pear Cookies

Drinks

• Mulled Pomegranate & Apple Cider with Bourbon
• White Honey Sangria
• Sparkling Wine/Champagne
• Strawberry Jell-o Shots
• Sam Adams Beer (Nichelle: Please tell Staci that I bought a six-pack of Sam Adams Cherry Wheat today.  I love it!!!)
• Wine
• Lots of liquor and mixers like San Pellegrino Pompelmo grapefruit soda

Mozzarella Company Cheesemaking Class

A couple of weeks ago, we went to the Mozzarella Company and took their Cheesemaking class -- something I've been wanting to do since I heard about the class a few years ago.  I don't know why we waited so long!  We had so much fun that I would definitely take the class again.  It's a great team-building event or something to do with friends or a date. 

The class description pretty much sums up what we did in a nutshell but doesn't convey how FUN it was nor how much cheese you really get to eat (I ate to my heart's content).

Upon arrival, students dress to make cheese by donning aprons and hairnets.  The event begins with a behind-the-scenes tour of the cheese factory. Once the tour is complete, the hands-on cheesemaking course begins. Participants will first learn how to make Fresh Ricotta and scoop it into baskets. Next, the participants are given a block of Fresh Mozzarella Curd, and they learn how to stretch and form many varieties of Mozzarella such as balls, Bocconcini, Mozzarella Rolls, and Queso Oaxaca.

The event concludes with a cocktail party – a wine and cheese tasting of award-winning cheeses produced by the Mozzarella Company.  Each participant receives a Mozzarella Company apron to wear and take home and the participants also divide up the cheeses that they have made during the class to take home.

For more information: http://www.mozzarellaco.com/classes.html

 

 

Balancing Act: Wine Glasses

Watch this 54 second video of a British sommelier setting a world record for wine glass balancing -- in the end, he apparently balanced 51 glasses in one hand!

2012 State Fair of Texas

Here are a few images from the State Fair this year.  Not pictured is the amazing Fletcher's jalapeno cheese corn dog I devoured.  It was worth every bite (and calorie).



The iconic ferris wheel

 

2 days before Big Tex burned down.
We'll miss you Big Tex!
 

Fried Chocolate Tres Leches Cake --
a little bit of a let down

 

Caramel Funnel Cake

 

Items I'd like to try next time especially
Fried Kit Kat!

 

Random Girl Scouts of America themed
butter sculptures

 

 

Hatch Chile Festival

Dallasites, it is Hatch Chile Festival time at Central Market until August 21st!

Now, I've never cooked hatch chiles before and am not exactly sure how I would cook them; however, Central Market has recipe upon recipe of really interesting dishes.  Check it out here.  I'm going to try Tash's Hatch Chile Chicken Enchiladas recipe this week. . .

I did purchase some Hatch Chile tortillas (delicious) and also a Hatch Chile Chocolate bar just for kicks today.   (I was in the chocolate aisle looking for some interesting dark chocolate since I was reminded recently how chocolate has been linked to lower BMI.  The greatest news ever!)  I had really low expectations of the chocolate bar, thinking I wouldn't be able to taste the chiles, but wow - it was spicy and flavorful.  Really nice, rich chocolate -- and only $2!  Give it a try and let me know if you have any great hatch chile recipes I should try.

Cupcake Camp 2012

Here are photos from Cupcake Camp today which was so fun and benefitted a great cause! 
http://cupcakecampdallas.com/

Become a fan of their Facebook page to get updates on Cupcake Camp 2013 and to sign up to bake next year:  http://www.facebook.com/cupcakecampdallas

Our table - I think ours was one of the best
amateur baker tables if I say so myself

A close-up of our table

The cupcakes I made: Hot Cocoa Marshmallow

Meyer Lemon with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Champagne Cupcakes
with White Chocolate Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

Food Fiend's Peach Bellini Cupcakes

Cupcakes we got to taste

Fancy cupcakes from a professional baker

Cupcakes from another professional baker

Cake pops seem to be the 'new thing'

Just a reminder that Cupcake Camp is coming up on

June 2nd from 1- 4 PM

at St. Mark's School of Texas

Buy your ticket today for $10 which includes admission and 5 tasting coupons.

Proceeds benefit The Leap Foundation, a nonprofit organization comprised of volunteer plastic surgeons, urologists, eye surgeons, anesthesiologists, orthodontists, nurses and support staff that offers surgical care to children around the world.

http://cupcakecampdallas.com/
http://foodiefriendstk.blogspot.com/2012/03/cupcake-camp-dallas-bake-with-me-for.html

Come and taste cupcakes from amateur bakers (like yours truly) and the following professional bakeries and cupcakeries:

Cake Diva

Dallas Cake Club

Dimples Cupcake Factor

Polk-A-Dot Bakery

Tiered Dreams

Babycakes Cupcakery

Cake Possible

Carol's Cupcakery

Central Market

Corner Bakery Cafe

Crazy Good Cupcakes

CupCake FabuLous

Cuptastic!

Custard Confections

Haute Mama Dessert Company

Hospitality Sweet

Krème de la Cupcake

Society Bakery

Sugar Ray's Bake Shop

Sweet Art Bakery

Sweet Creations, Gifts & More

SweetPea Bakery

Tart Bakery

Trailercakes

Velvet Bake Shop

Willie Mae's Bakery

TX Food Truck Fest - This Weekend!

The TX Food Truck Fest is this weekend in Dallas at Valley View Mall's parking lot.  Food trucks are coming from all over Texas to be at the event.

Fri, May 11: 5 pm - 10 pm
Sat, May 12: 11 am - 10 pm
(There's also a Dash & Dine 5K Run and 1 mile Fun Run on Sat. at 8 am)

$5 Admission
Children under 5 are free
15% of attendance proceeds will go to the North Texas Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. 

http://www.txfoodtruckfest.com/food-trucks/

Belgian Waffle Company - specializing in the Waffle de Liége

Cajun Tailgators - Serving great cajun food...Let the good times roll

Chi'lantro(Austin) - Korean + Mexican Fusion

Coreanos - Mexican Cuisine with Korean in Between

Crazy Fish - Sushi Food Truck

Dough Boy Pizza - Gourmet pizza off a food truck

Eat Jo Dawgs - Custom hotdogs, links, polish sausage & bratwurst

Four Seasons - by vizion catering

enticed - Gourmet shaved ice and more

Gandolfos - Serving great Pastrami and more

Jack's Chowhound - On the scene...mean cuisine

Little Vessel Grill Food Truck - American Fusion Cuisine

Nammi Food Truck - Cruisin' Vietnamese Fusion serving Banh Mi

Rock and Roll Tacos - 100% Authentic Street Tacos

Rockstar Bakeshop - DFW's Gourmet Whoopie Pie Destination

Ssahm BBQ - Gourmet Korean Tacos

The Butchers Son - Famous Johnsonville Sausage - Food with heritage

The Fat Truck - Molecular Gastronomy or as he would call it, MoGa

Three Lions - Fast. Delicious. Englis

Tin Star Taco Taxi - Notoriously Addictive Gourmet Tacos

TX Delizioso - Where Texan meets Italian

Wiener Man - It's not just a hot dog... It's a wiener

Yume Burger - Japanese burgers. Experience the burger, redefined.

May 8: Haagen-Dazs Free Cone Day

Save the Date!  It's Free Cone Day at Haagen-Dazs from 4-8pm at all their shops!

Haagen-Dazs Shops Locator
Haagen-Dazs Facebook Page

Cupcake Camp Dallas: BAKE with Me for a Great Cause!

Cupcake Camp Dallas 2012

St. Mark's School of Texas

June 2, 2012 from 1-4 PM

Last year, I attended Cupcake Camp Dallas. I think it's a misnomer because it's not really a camp. It was more of a fun cupcake festival where you could buy tickets and trade them in for any cupcakes you wanted at the table upon table of amateur and professionally made cupcakes. It was so much fun just seeing all of the various flavors of cupcakes and getting to taste them. 

All cupcakes are donated by bakers (amateur & professional), and the proceeds from people purchasing tickets for the cupcakes benefits The Leap Foundation which is a a non-profit organization that is comprised of volunteer plastic surgeons, urologists, eye surgeons, anesthesiologists, orthodontists, nurses and support staff that offers surgical care to children around the world. 

So, come and either BAKE or EAT some cupcakes with me! I just registered (it's free) to bake 72 cupcakes (60 is the minimum to get a table) and will be entering the amateur competition. It would be such a fun afternoon especially if we can get a few people together to participate (we could have tables next to each other). For those of you have kids, they would absolutely love attending this event.

See their website for more photos, info and to register: http://cupcakecampdallas.com/

Last year's Cupcake Camp at Royal Oaks Country Club

Some of the cupcakes my friend and I bought -
there were crazy ones like margarita, green tea,
Dr Pepper and Pop Tart flavors

Off the Grid - Food Truck Experience

I had my first food truck experience Friday night at the Off the Grid event in San Francisco.  It was packed with people, food trucks, food & drink vendors and a band.  I absolutely loved it and had a great time.

What's interesting to me is that food trucks aren't a new phenomenon.  I've seen them at construction sites selling breakfast burritos, hot dogs, tacos -- and then, there's the ice cream truck that used to come around our neighborhood.  It's just the aspect that the food is now gourmet.

There was gourmet food galore, and I wanted to try it all.  I limited myself to just the following:

• Mac 'n Cheese Spring Rolls  [interesting concept; really rich]
• Chairman Bao's Baked Bun w/Tender Pork Belly and Pickled Daikon  [I'm not a huge fan of daikon, but the flavors melded so well together]
• Chairman Bao's Steamed Bun w/Braised Pork with Savoy Cabbage and Preserved Mustard Seeds  [so delicious, with again, the flavors melding perfectly together -- there's a reason Chairman Bao's food truck had one of the longest lines]
• Cupskates' Gingerbread w/Lemon Frosting Cupcake
• Cupskates' Salted Caramel Cupcake

 

Mac n' Cheese Spring Rolls w/Cheese Fondue

Chairman Bao's Steamed Bun: Braised Pork w/Savoy Cabbage and Preserved Mustard Seeds
Chairman Bao's Baked Bun: Tender Pork Belly and Pickled Daikon

In short, it was an absolutely delicious meal that beats many of my fine dining experiences.