Pumpkin please!

I have a confession to make...I might be just a little Pumpkin Obsessed! I absolutely LOVE this time of year. Pumpkin breads, donuts, bagels, scones, cereal, Pop-Tarts, and of course, my original obsession: Pumpkin Pie! When I was a child, my mother used to make two pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving...one for everyone else and one for Heather. No lie.

So of course when I came across this recipe for Tortellini with Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce in Food Network Magazine, I had to try it. Yes, it was a recipe targeted for "kids" but so what?! I am still that little 9 year old that can eat a whole pumpkin pie herself! The recipe itself was so simple a kid really could make it all by themselves too. A few simple ingredients turned a Tuesday night dinner into a rich, warm, comforting fall meal.

Pumpkin Delight

And yes, it tastes as good as it looks! Will I be sick of all things pumpkin by the time Thanksgiving comes around? Maybe. But just so you know, a pumpkin whoopie pie is the key to my heart!

Boca Burger Battle 2012



Best of the Burgers


Another day, another food event. This time, it was the inaugural Boca Burger Battle. 20 local joints battling for burger supremacy. These events are definitely a test to the limits of one's stomach, but that is just part of the fun. There were burgers of all shapes, sizes, textures and flavors. I only sampled 14 of those 20 burgers up for the big prize, but I definitely found some hits and misses. Top vote in my book was Gimme a Burger from Deerfield Beach. Bacon, a fried egg, and a little spice, all things that equal a winner in my book! Can't wait to try their full menu.

Coming out on top for the judges was Rebel House. As I did not sample their burger, I can only assume it was spectacular to beat out Gimme a Burger. 

All in all, another great event. But then again, sponsored by Jack Daniels...how can it be bad?!
What's up next folks?

Taste of The Nation Palm Beach 2012

Sip. Savor. Repeat.
That was my evening in a nutshell.
I had the pleasure of attending the Taste of the Nation Palm Beach. Top local restaurants getting together to pass out samples to raise money for charity? I'm in! Plenty of good food, wine, desserts, auction items and live music...a perfect Wednesday night if you ask me!

So many bites, so little stomach room

(Mostly) Everything was delicious, but my favorite was definitely from Echo.

Duck Bun with Chili dipping sauce

Served with a berry-infused sake, I can't wait to try out their full menu!

Thanks to Dine Magazine for sending me. A night I am sure to not forget any time soon!

Make sure to check out Share Our Strength to find an event near you. Trust me, giving back never tasted so good!

Riverwalk Burger Battle 2012

20 local burger restaurants battling it out for best of the best, sponsored by Jack Daniels and Barefoot Wine? A foodie's dream! It's no small feet to sample 20 burgers in one night, but I was up for the challenge! Some were big, some small, some juicy, some dry and some just overly-complicated.

In the end, everyone chose their favorite and casted their vote. My vote? Grateful Palate.

{Grilled Waygu Burger with Truffle Foie Aioli and Baby Arugula on a Challah Bun}

Grateful Palate may not have won the competition, but they certainly won a customer! Truffle Foie Aioli...are you kidding me?! Can't wait to check out more of their menu.

Who did win, you ask? Charm City Burger. The very local burger joint I blogged about last month.

{Good Ole Burger}

It's nice to see a local win for once. Congrats Charm City!

Now excuse me while I go work off 20 burgers!

xoxo,

Heather

Backyard Bar

For Easter this year, I decided to go a different route. Going out for Brunch instead of cooking. Trying a new place even: The Backyard Bar, the quaint little outside dining area at the Hibiscus B&B in downtown West Palm Beach.

{Plate #1, I forgot to take pictures after this!}

While there was nothing BAD about my experience, I can't say there was anything GOOD either. It all seemed, well, amateur. Late service, not enough food, 3 calls to get a reservation... Not to mention the menu lacked all of the Easter favorites I was craving: not one ham, lamb or egg in sight! I would not recommend this as a brunch spot, but I'd definitely try their happy hour and tapas menu. How can that go wrong?

Charmed I'm sure!

Remember last week, when I told you about my trip to the Burger Battle? And how it got shut down by the Fire Marshall? Well, I took note of some of the burger joints I did not get to sample, and was lucky enough to try one on Friday: Charm City Burger Company. This quaint little Deerfield burger joint has everything you want: delicious food, good prices, friendly staff,  and fast service.

It was tough deciding which burger to try, as all of them sounded so good! In the end we went with The Emperor:

{Kobe beef patty melt, sauteed mushrooms, aged Gruyere, truffles aioli}

More burger than even I can eat! Juicy, savory and delicious. I ordered it to be cooked "Right On" and it was! As my friend Caroline says: "You had me at Texas Toast." I dreamt about this burger that night, and continued to taste it on my tongue the whole next day!

 

We also tried The Cowboy Style with a Fried Egg:

{Thick cut bacon, aged cheddar, sauteed shrooms, grilled onions}

Make sure to have plenty of napkins on hand for this one! A few dribbles down the chin are a small price to pay for this juicy piece of comfort though. With a side of sweet potato fries and a cold brew, you'd think you died and went to Burger Heaven!

I thoroughly enjoyed every bit (and bite) of Charm City Burger. I can't wait to go back and try more of the menu, including those shakes! Highly recommend you try this place out yourself. It is, dare I say, Charming!

Burger Battle

Having missed out on the Rachael Ray Burger Bash at SBWFF just last month, I was thrilled to learn that a less-popular local version was coming to town. Sample 30 burgers by local burger joints? Sponsored by Blue Moon? Yes please!

Of course, testing 30 burgers is no small feat, even for this girl's appetite! I didn't even get the chance to test the limits of my stomach, because the fire Marshall shut the event down at about 8:45. Just 15 burgers in! eek! Well, although not fair, I had to cast my vote for the best burger of the night. I was torn between the Palm Beacher from Chuck Burger Joint:

{Chuck burger, Tilamook cheddar, mustardy iceberg slaw, Walt's farmhouse tomatoes and pickles on a toasted potato bun}

or the Chuck Norris Frita from Fritaman:

{Chorizo, ground beef  with steak seasoning and julienne fries topped with groundhouse kick zesty sauce}

In the end I went with Chuck burger just for proximity's sake, but it was a close race!

Too bad I didn't get to test the rest of the burgers, some of them looked fantastic!

I guess there's always next year. Hopefully, they will have it in better facility, as to keep those pesky Fire Marshalls away!

Until then....

SobeWFF 2012

Finally coming down off the whirlwind high from this year's South Beach Wine & Food Festival. In effort to spare you 76 posts about every bite I ate and every chef I met, I will try to condense everything into one post, so here you go!

Chef Demos:
I watched a ton of Chef Demos, some better than others... (Guy Fieri was my favorite) Chef demos are like watching your favorite Food Network show live!

{Rachael Ray, Robert Irvine, Guy Fieri, Michael Chiarello, Masaharu Morimoto}

One of my favorite things about chef demos is getting to ask the chefs my favorite question:

Whose Food Network Show do you like to watch?

Rachael Ray: I don't watch much TV but I really enjoyed taping Rachael vs Guy: Celebrity Cook Off'

Guy Fieri: Discos Debutantes and Derelicts. You've heard of DDD right?!

Food Tasting:
Of course at a food festival, there is a TON of food.

First Event up: The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Late Night Bites and Sweets:

{Guacamole, chili dog & tater tots, red velvet cake, deep fried oreos, duck tortilla pie, mini Reuben, lil waygu burger, pork belly, yummy decorations, rock shrimp tiradito, lamb ribs}

My Favorite bite from this event: Pork Belly from Bourbon Steak Miami

Next Event up: Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village:

{sashimi on rice cake, ribs with red chili sauce, Greek meatball, ceviche, lobster barley risotto, tuna tar tar, red curry short ribs, BBQ with sweet potatoes, ribs, tuna cone, truffle artichoke soup, red velvet cake, steak sandwich, veal cheek, pork taco}

My favorite bite from this event: Ribs from Mr. Chow Miami. YUM!

Chef sightings:

Always a ton of chef sightings at Sobe. As they say, it is Spring Break for Chefs! I met a ton of new Food Network stars:

{Aaron Sanchez, Sunny Anderson, Michael Chiarello, Robert Irvine, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, Anne Burrell, Bitchin Kitchen, Alex Guarnaschelli, Sunny Anderson, Marc Summers, Melissa D'Arabian}

Pretty cool, right?!

I had such a blast! I love that the festival is always around my birthday. It makes for an extra special time! I am already counting the days until next year. Taking donations now for tickets, as I want to go to more and more events!

Until then,

H



 

Super Sunday

I know it's been a little quiet here on the blog, but you know I couldn't let Super Bowl XLVI go by without posting! This year's Super Bowl fete was all about the dips. My contributions included a classic and a new comber.

{Rocco's Tacos Famous Guacamole}

Always a hit. It's a staple at his restaurants. Get the recipe here.

{Green Chile Dip}

Rachael Ray called it zippy. I didn't think it had much zip, tasted mostly like feta. Cream cheese, feta, salsa Verde, jalapenos...how can you go wrong? Recipe here.

Well, football is over for a while folks. What to do until it returns? Hopefully more cooking, eating, traveling and blogging! Until then!

xoxo,

H

This little piggy...

I like to think I am an easy person to buy for. A cookbook, a gadget or anything food or kitchen related is always a hit with me. So was I stoked when I received a gigantic bottle of Texas BBQ sauce? YES! Immediately I began calculating what I would make with it. Think of all the possibilities: pulled pork, BBQ chicken, ribs, nachos...and so on! First up: Pulled Pork. Of course, one of the easiest things in the world to make. Throw a huge hunk of pork in the crock pot till it falls apart, add sauce and throw on a bun, done! Top with some cole slaw and some pickles on the side and your loved ones will thank you!

{pork deliciousness}

Thanks to Nicole for the gift!

{I am hoping sauce is spelled wrong on purpose??}

hmmm, what to make next?

A New York state of mind

Tailgate #10
Theme: New York

Last tailgate of the season *sniff*. This week's theme was New York, which was pretty easy.

{Yes, that's New York Strip and potatoes, Bagels, and New York Cheesecake!}

Quite perfect for a New Year's Day tailgate if you ask me!

Can't wait to see what we come up with next year!

Thanks everyone for following along.

Happy New Year!

xoxo,

H