My Fair Lady

First off, no judgement on this post please. I have not been to a fair in probably 20 years, so I may have gone a little nuts on this visit, but boy was it worth it! I was on fair food sensory overload! It all started when I saw this sign:

Yes, ladies and gents, you read that right... A PORK PARFAIT! Apparently, it was featured in the Food Network Magazine, but I missed it. Needless to say, I HAD to have one!

And it was every bit as good as it sounds! Simple concept: pulled pork, barbecue sauce and mashed potatoes, layered in a cup. De-lish!

Then on to the next guilty pleasure (and this is where I insist on you not judging me!).....the Donut Burger!

A burger patty in between two Krispy Kreme donuts. Yes, a heart attack waiting to happen, but I had to try it in the name of food reporting. ;) And Yes, I have to admit, I kinda liked it! Sweet, salty, soft and crunchy, definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Then on to a classic I had not had in a while:

Elephant Ear! I prefer elephant ears to funnel cakes, but that's just my preference. Fried dough covered with cinnamon sugar...can't beat it!

Then for my last hurrah, I had to try something I heard Sunny Anderson speak of on The Best Thing I Ever Ate...the deep-fried Snickers!

The dough was a little to chewy for me, but the inside was nothing but chocolate, Carmel and peanut goodness!

And so went my fair adventures. Good thing I did a 5K in the morning to make up for the gluttony...and I think I'll stay away from fairs for a while....Besides, I think I can make my own pork parfait! :)

Green Goddess

This post has been a long time coming. My nephew has worked at the adorable Green's Pharmacy for some time now, and I finally had the pleasure of checking it out. I have to say, it was pretty much exactly how I pictured it... An old-school luncheonette with a counter, good food and great prices. Just take a look at some of the tasty goodness we sampled:

M&M pancakes

Look at the size of those things!!!!

The breakfast special: Biscuits and Gravy with Eggs

Bacon Egg and Cheese Croissant with red skinned Home fries

Everything was fresh, tasty and homemade. It was like going back in time! The prices are ridiculously good, the service fast and everybody there was super-friendly. One of those places where everyone knows your name. I definitely cannot wait to go back again soon!

And, of course, I think the chef is cute too!

 

Thanks for a great breakfast Shaun!

Tastecasting-La Stella's

So glad to join my Tastecasting ladies again last night at La Stella's of Boca Raton! If you don't feel like cooking tonight and are craving some true old-school Italian home cooking, you should take a look at what we sampled.....

Sunday Meatballs

Four Seasons Flatbread Pizza

 Ricotta Gnocchi

Chicken Volantini

Dessert Sampler

Pardon the awful photo quality folks, I forgot my camera, so these were all shot on the camera phone.

Tastecasting-Indus Herbal Cuisine

After quite a hiatus, the Tastecasting crew was back together again last night at Indus Herbal Cuisine in West Palm Beach. Now, I was excited about this for many reasons. First, the restaurant is about a half mile from my house, two, I was actually off so I was available to go, and lastly, I have been craving Indian food  for for.ev.er. Just take a look at all of the menu items we sampled:

Guldasta Platter (an appetizer sampler)

Indus Chili Gobi (a sweet/sour cauliflower)

One of our favorites of the night!

Coconut Lobster Chardonnay

Another fave of the night!

Chicken Tikki Masala

Classic Indian dish, a great starter dish if you have never had Indian cuisine

Tandoori Mix Grill

Palak Masala (Spinach curry)

We adored this dish!

Lamb Vindaloo

Definitely the spiciest dish of the evening!

 Dosa
(Lentil pancake filled with curry potatoes, served with a lentil sauce)
Interesting concept...

and to sweeten our palate

Mango mousse

Seems like a lot of food, but the portions are not overly large, and the prices are just right, making it almost necessary to sample all the dishes! Overall exactly what I expected, and it definitely fulfilled my Indian craving for the time being. It was quite a busy evening for the restaurant, with not only our group, but food critics and writers from all over, making it a challenging night for the staff. The owner and staff were so nice and accommodating to us though, I will definitely give Indus another try, maybe for lunch next time. See you then guys!

Panini Power!

Combine getting a new panini press with the New Year and eating healthy and what do you get? A healthy panini! Where did I turn for inspiration? Why, Hungry Girl of course! I subscribe to her daily emails full if tips, recipes and news. I happen to get one last month with a recipe that I immediately printed out. It was a makeover on the Panera Bread Frontega Chicken Panini, which I eat OFTEN. Well, I was SHOCKED to found out that my favorite lunchtime delight has 860 calories! Yikes!!! Lucky for me Hungry Girl came to my rescue and made her version of it. The HG Mega-Delicious Chicken Chipotle Panini. Now do you get why I printed it out immediately??!! This past week I made up a batch of the chicken and the chipotle mayo and easily assembled one for lunch not once but FOUR times! It not only tastes exactly like the real (fattening) thing, but it is filling too!

Looks like way more than 256 calories, doesn't it? Tastes like it too!

PS You should not only subscribe to the HG emails, but check our her new show on Cooking Channel as well. Both are chock full of tips and tricks for those looking to slim down! But then again, this hungry girl adores anyone with the initials HG! ;)

I got a panini maker!!

I have been wanting a panini maker for quite some time now, and this year, Santa (IE my sister Jan) came through! Eager to try it out, we consulted our booklet from the Food Network Magazine, 50 Panini. We combined the idea of #22 and #27 and made our own Spicy Steak Fajita Panini.

Fresh Ciabatta, siracha mayonnaise, provolone, grilled flank steak, peppers and onions combined to make the perfect inaugural panini!

The spicyness of the mayo, the sweet of the peppers and onions, the grilled flavor from the steak...perfectly delicious! You can't get this at any sandwich shop!

Tailgate, take nine

The last tailgate of the year was special for a couple reasons. One, it was the day after Christmas, so everyone was happy and ready to go! Two, it was the last game of the year, so you have to savor the moments...it's a long time until the next one! And three, my adorable nephew, Dustin, was my partner in crime this time. Now, Dustin is not what you would call a foodie, so nothing life-changing here. And lucky for us, I lost the first ladder-ball tournament, so I had to do cooking! Dustin's meal of choice was a Turkey-Cheese panini, the Dustini, if you will!

These bricks sure have come in handy this year!

Nice, hearty sandwich for a chilly Miami day!
Let it be known that I won the second round of ladder ball, so Dustin had to buy the burger and fries at half-time! :)

Tailgate, take eight

A little behind in the blogging...sorry for those who have missed me! Let me try to catch you up on what's been cooking...

For the second to last tailgate of the year, I decided to get a little cheeky and try something new from Bobby Flay's new cookbook, Burgers, Fries and Shakes. We were playing the Buffalo Bills, so I decided to make the Buffalo Burger. No, it's not made of Buffalo meat, but something even better! I was extra-excited, because this is the first recipe I have made from the new book. As always, Bobby's recipe was easy to follow, accessible ingredients and out-of this-world taste! Take a look at the breakdown:

Ground Chuck burgers with just S&P on them

Cover with hot sauce (IE Buffalo wing sauce)

Slather with Blue Cheese Sauce, Crunchify with potato chips and add a toasty bun. YUM!

Add potato salad and you have the perfect pre-game meal!

Another Touchdown by Bobby! Too bad my cheeky idea didn't lead to a home-team win, but at least the food was good! If you would like the recipe, let me know and I will email it over to you!