Interesting Find – Scrambled, Greensboro, NC

Published on June 2, 2017 by carol lou

Every once in awhile you run across someplace that you will always remember. Scrambled is just one of those types of restaurants that I will remember and hope to return to one day. As we were traveling through the south on our return trip home from the Masters this spring, we stopped into Scrambled for breakfast. After numerous searches on the internet, I decided that Scrambled looked like just the type of place to try and boy we were not disappointed. You know the minute you arrive on a weekday morning and you have to wait 30 – 35 minutes, you have found a great place that the locals frequent. We were greeted with the news of a wait, but also a waiting area and a delicious cup of coffee. Time flew during our wait since I always seem to strike up a conversation and learn more about the restaurant and the local area. I must admit, I told the hostess that I was a food blogger. Once my husband and I were seated, we checked out their delicious menu and ordered a few of our favorites. It was shortly after this that we meet Sarah Keith who owns Scrambled with her husband and chef, Chris Blackburn; she graciously offered to have us try a few of the menu highlights. We had such fun, talking with our neighboring table mates and discussing the wonderful menu at Scrambled. I tasted my way through the menu; just sitting here writing this post, I wish I had their fried green tomato eggs benedict sitting here next to me, or their meatloaf benedict, or their breakfast flatbread, or their pancake, or their…….. I think you get the picture. Everything we tried was sensational. Oh, did I mention their biscuits and homemade jams?

Here I am with Sarah and Chris

Everything was just sensational! I will head back to Greensboro just to go to Scrambled.

Cinnamon Waffles – I wish I was still at The Homestead!

Published on April 4, 2017 by carol lou

My husband and I spent last weekend at The Homestead in Hot Springs, VA. We wanted a weekend getaway and decided to head to The Homestead after many great reviews from friends. After a long and winding journey through the western part of Virginia, we drove into the small town of Hot Springs and was greeted by the massive resort on our left. I must tell you, after driving many miles through the country roads, I thought I had put in the wrong address into our GPS, because I just could not believe there would much civilization, no less a resort in the mountainous remote area we were driving through.) How wrong I was, the town of Hot Springs and The Homestead are beautiful. As you know, I am always looking for great food and interesting finds, I had to go no further than their breakfast buffet on Saturday morning. Before we headed out for a round of golf, we had the most delicious breakfast buffet in their main dining room. So many delicious choices, I could hardly decide what to select. It didn’t take me too long to find Roderick making Cinnamon Waffles, a specialty at The Homestead. What a delicious breakfast treat, along with a vegetable omelet and grits, a breakfast of champions for these golfers! So, back to reality today and back to my kitchen. I decided to make my own Cinnamon Waffle recipe this morning, what a great way to remember a great trip.

Our view from the 14th tee box on the Old Course at The Homestead.

Roderick making Cinnamon Waffles

Cinnamon Waffles

Ingredients

2 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and beat just until smooth. Pour batter into waffle iron and bake until steaming stops, approx. 4 1/2 - 5 minutes. Remove carefully. Makes 3 - 10 inch waffles.

Interesting Find – Farmer’s Daughter Jams and Preserves and Whole Wheat Biscuit Recipe

Published on March 21, 2017 by carol lou

I am always on the search for interesting food items to incorporate into my cooking and my blog. When I saw Farmer’s Daughter Jams and Preserves this past weekend, I just have to buy a few jars. The cute jars and catchy batch names such as Blackberry Julep Jam and Strawberry Honeysuckle Preserves were calling my name. I spend of bit of time researching the company and found they are headquartered in Hillsborough, NC. After checking their website (http://www.farmersdaughterbrand.com/index.htm) I found the following information that tells their story:

Farmer’s Daughter is a farm-driven artisan food business celebrating the flavors of the South and the soils of the North Carolina Piedmont while gaining inspiration from authentic food cultures worldwide. It was founded in 2007 by April McGreger, who learned the art of preserving at the elbows of her mother and grandmother amidst a rural farming community in Mississippi. Farmer’s Daughter seeks to promote the value of sustainable, small-scale agriculture as well as traditional, handmade methods of preserving.

I am always impressed with those that continue the traditions set by their mothers and grandmothers. We tried both of the above varieties, they are wonderful and especially delicious on my whole wheat biscuits- YUM!

These biscuits are incredibly easy to prepare and the results are always great. I rolled my dough approximately 3/4 inch thick, if you want event taller biscuits, you can roll the dough up to 1 inch thick. You will have fewer biscuits, but very impressive when over the top in height!

Whole Wheat Biscuits

Servings 12

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup unsalted butter softened and diced
1 egg lightly beaten
1 cup milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl. combine the flours, baking powder, sugar, salt and cream of tartar. Add butter and using a pastry blender, cut butter into mixture until the butter is the size of small peas. Make a well in the center, add egg and milk and combine with a fork until all of the dry ingredients are moist. Turn dough onto a well floured surface and knead until all is smooth and all dry ingredients are incorporated. Roll dough to 3/4 inch thick, cut with three inch cutter. Place biscuits on parchment lined baking sheet, 1/4 inch apart. Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Baked then Grilled Ribs/Interesting Find – Hudson Sauce

Published on August 11, 2016 by carol lou

Who doesn’t love a great rack of fall-off the bones BBQ’d ribs in the summer time? We certainly do! I found years ago that by baking the ribs first and then grilling them, you get fall of the bone tenderness without the 3 hours of tending to the grill. I usually rub the ribs with a dry rub or concoct a BBQ sauce to baste the ribs. This time, I used a terrific new find – Hudson Sauce. Their spicy marinade is unbelievably delicious and made this rib preparation even easier. I marinated the ribs in their Spicy Marinade. Then followed the method I have always used for ribs. Bake the ribs in the oven first, them finish on the grill. I even brushed the ribs with some of the marinade during the last few minutes of cooking. Finger lickin’ good with a bit of heat and oh so easy!

Marinated Ribs Ribs just taken off the grill

Baked then Grilled Ribs

2016-08-06 14:16:25

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Ingredients

Baby back or spareribs
BBQ sauce or dry rub

Instructions

Remove ribs from package, place in large ziplock bag or place in glass baking dish. Marinate in sauce or dry rub of your choice. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove ribs from marinade and place on foil lined baking sheet. Cover ribs with additional foil and seal edges. Bake 2 hours at 325 degrees. Prepare grill - medium low heat. Place ribs on grill and cook an additional hour or until ribs are tender. Serve with additional sauce.

A Passion for Entertaining https://apassionforentertaining.com/

Unbelievably Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Published on May 31, 2016 by carol lou

This recipe is so easy it is almost embarrassing to post. Two ingredients and fantastic results. Now that is one great recipe! I usually use whatever BBQ sauce I happen to have in my pantry. However, this time, I used a wonderful Virginia product that I received. I used Shaffer’s Bold and Sassy Sauce. I always prefer to use locally made products in my recipes. Their sauce is a vinegar/red wine based sauce with molasses, coriander, cumin and other spices. It was a delicious addition to this easy recipe.

Big Julie’s Bold & Sassy (16 fl oz) - $6.99

Unbelievably Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

2016-05-26 17:47:50

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Ingredients

2 pork tenderloins or one beef brisket
BBQ sauce

Instructions

Almost too easy to post - in your slow cooker, pour in 3/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce. Add your meat of choice. Drizzle with an additional 3/4 cup sauce. Cover and cook on low for 7 1/2 hours. Shred meat, return to sauce to keep warm. Serve.

A Passion for Entertaining https://apassionforentertaining.com/

Candied Oranges

Published on May 9, 2016 by carol lou

Sometimes I think my kitchen is more of a chemistry lab than a kitchen. I love candied oranges, however, they are definitely pricey when you see them and not readily available. So, I thought I would try my hand at making candied oranges. They are the perfect accompaniment to a cheese tray, great to chop and mix in muffins or quick breads, an interesting addition or garnish for cocktails, delicious served with whipped cream mixed with brandy, serve sliced with an after dinner cordial and my latest concoction – chop two candied oranges and mix into one-half gallon of vanilla ice cream and top with chocolate sauce. Below I have highlighted another fantastic Virginia food find I came across Willie Byrd Chocolate Sauce , I heated and topped my candied orange ice cream with this and all I can say is… unbelievably delicious!

Candied Oranges

2016-04-29 13:31:08

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Ingredients

1 1/3 cup sugar
4 cups water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 seedless oranges, score rind
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Instructions

In a heavy sauce pan that will hold 6 oranges snugly, combine water, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Add oranges, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 2 hours. Turn oranges every 1/2 hour. After 2 hours, remove the lid and bring the syrup with the oranges in it to a boil. Boil until the syrup is thick, this will take about 10 minutes. Turn oranges frequently so they do not brown. When syrup has thickened, remove the pan from the heat and let the oranges cool in the syrup. Turn the oranges so the syrup coats the oranges as they cool. Refrigerate the oranges when completely cool. Candied oranges will keep for at least 2 weeks refrigerated.

A Passion for Entertaining https://apassionforentertaining.com/

Interesting Find – Fresh Batch Jams/Pineapple Dipping Sauce Recipe

Published on April 1, 2016April 1, 2016 by carol lou

After just returning from Hawaii and then visiting the Virginia Food and Beverage Expo, I am sure you will know why I was so thrilled to find Aloha Jam. How great that the name of a jam would bring immediate memories of Hawaii and even better, the delicious taste of pineapples. Fresh Batch Jams was gracious in giving me a jar of their jam after I explained I love to create recipes using interesting food finds. Well friends, this time I think I have hit a home run with my pineapple dipping sauce. Quick, easy and oh so delicious. I started with Aloha Jam (Fresh Batch Jam’s pineapple jam named Aloha Jam) and added a few ingredients to make this marvelous dip/sauce. I served this sauce with grilled pork tenderloin and it was sensational. I think it would also be fantastic with egg rolls, chicken strips, spooned over warm brie, served on a cheese board or slathered on a ham sandwich. I call this a great food find!

Pineapples growing at the Dole Plantation on Oahu

Pineapple Dipping Sauce

2016-03-30 06:24:55

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Ingredients

1/4 cup pineapple jam
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Mix all together, refrigerate until serving.

A Passion for Entertaining https://apassionforentertaining.com/

Interesting Finds – Virginia Food Finds

Published on March 23, 2016 by carol lou

I had the pleasure of attending the 2016 Virginia Food and Beverage Expo in Richmond, VA. Along with my friend Pat, we tasted our way through rows and rows of delicious food and tasty beverages. All of the foods are from Virginia. How could I not be inspired? From bee keepers and their delicious honey, fresh oysters farmed off the Virginia coast, family recipes from jam to shortbread, seasonings created by a chef and butcher, delicious cake combinations featured in jars, salsas and hot sauces (some of the best I have tasted), vinegar varieties made from Virginia wines, to visiting my favorites such as Spartan Olive Oil, The Essential Table, Rappahannock Oysters, and Catoctin Creek Distillery. I must say it was a fantastic day in my food world. Below are a few photos from the day. My fun now begins, I came home with samples of some of my favorites from the show and can’t wait to create and feature recipes using foods from these creative food manufacturers. More highlights to follow – with new recipes and food stories in the coming weeks.

Enjoying a fresh VA oyster with Mike Hutt, Virginia Seafood

Here I am with Warren Brown of CakeLove, famous for his cupcakes, now creating delicious jarred cakes.

Best Smokey Bacon Salsa ever, with Ernie Dettbarn, of Ernies Epic Food

A great time tasting Hudson Sauce with Jhaleel Hudson. Can’t wait to cook with his sauce.

A Food Lover’s Life List

Published on January 7, 2016 by carol lou

I just love to spend time in book stores wandering the aisles, checking out interesting reads, magazines, and I always check out the cookbook section. Well, I found one book that I just couldn’t pass by, 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die. This book is written by Mimi Sheraton—award-winning cookbook author, grande dame of food journalism, and former restaurant critic for The New York Times. This book is part cookbook, travel guide, and food excursions. It is divided by regional cuisine around the world – ever wonder what to eat and where to find regional specialities around the world? This book has the answer. If you are planning a trip, I would definitely add this book to your list of reads before traveling. From MoonPies to Southern Fried Chicken in the U.S to Bang Mi in Vietnam, Insalata di Frutti de Mare in Italy, you can find so many intriguing and interesting dishes. She has even added recipes to try. This is one book that transports you through food around the world. I found this a great read and one that I will frequently reference. I call that a great find!

Interesting Find – Red Truck Bakery, Marshall, VA

Published on October 27, 2015 by carol lou

My first post regarding award winning Red Truck Bakery was last year when I visited their Warrenton, VA bakery during December. Today, I visited their new and expanded bakery in Marshall, VA. In my opinion this is a must stop when visiting Virginia’s Hunt Country. My first impression was what a great vibe this place has with farm tables, stools, and the most magnificent display of baked goods you could find anywhere. Being the fall season, it is just brimming with pumpkins, fall décor, pumpkin pies ready to buy and even a butternut squash quiche. All in a historic building painted red on Main Street. How more iconic can you get! This is one place you will not want to miss. If stopping for coffee and a breakfast treat, lunch or any time of day treat, this is food stop that is well worth the visit. You will not regret stopping here in Marshall, VA. I am already planning when I want to return over the holidays. Marshall is only a ten mile drive from Middleburg,VA a perfect combination for a perfect fall day. Check out their website. Enjoy!