Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Wine and Food Tasting - October 13th and 14th

I will have two tables this weekend and am able to do my thing!  Here we go again ...

There are a lot of new items in the store.  Hence, we will be samping WHAT'S NEW.  Below is what I'm tossing around right now. 

The Turkey Sausages will be great for a meal, party, tailgating. The sauces I'm thinking of putting with them are not new into the store, and may even be a recipe. (YES, you'd have to make it yourself!)

Saturday, October 13th (12:00 to 3:00 PM)

Beverage
  • Navy Hill Soda + Tonic (Juniper)
  • Navy Hill Soda + Tonic (Ginger)

Food
  • Turkey Sausage
    • Apple Maple (with ... jam ... have to decide which)
    • Cheddar Beer (with Beer Cheese)
    • Smoked Mozzarella and Broccoli Rabe (with Tomato Squash Sauce)
  • Yuzu Marmalade with cheese (will decide on cheese based on stock) on Fine Cheese Company Charcoal Squares
  • Date Syrup over goat cheese on Fine Cheese Company Cheese Toast

Sunday, October 14th (12:00 to 4:00 PM)
I plan the same as Saturday, but it's all determined based on stock.



Recipes: Pumpkin Sausage Pasta Sauce - Old Farmhouse Chutney Cheese Ball - Old Farmhouse Chicken Salad Sandwiches - TFM's Pumpkin Bisque

This weekend I was able to do whatever I wanted!
With all the questions being asked me, "What's the Pumpkin Butter taste like?", "What's the Pumpkin Salsa like?", and "What was the recipe you made last year with the Pumpkin Pasta Sauce?", I knew I had to have a pumpkin theme sampling.



Back by popular demand, I sampled TFM's recipe for Pumpkin Sausage Pasta Sauce.  Once again, it was one the favorites of the day.

Pumpkin Sausage Sauce
1 jar TFM Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
¾ to 1 lb. bulk sweet Italian Sausage
2 to 3 Tbl. chicken broth
Garnish:
     sour cream
     toasted, salted pumpkin seeds
     La Tourangelle Walnut Oil

Cook sausage in a sauté pan.  Add Pumpkin Pasta Sauce. Rinse jar with broth, add contents to pan.  Simmer until heated through.  Serve over zucchini noodles or your favorite pasta. Garnish with sour cream, toasted pumpkin seeds, and/or walnut oil.

When customers approach this section of my sample table I either hear, "I've been wanting to try this.", or "Pumpkin sauce doesn't sound very good." In either scenario, THEY LOVE IT. 

You can use zoodles, pasta, sweet Italian sausage, chicken sausage, etc.  Enjoy.


Old Farmhouse Chutney Cheese Ball 
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 jar Stonewall Kitchen Old Farmhouse Chutney
¼ c. diced scallion
½ c. Colby cheese, shredded
½ c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
½ c. chopped, toasted pecans

Mix together the cream cheese, Old Farmhouse Chutney, scallion, garlic, salt and pepper.  Fold in the Colby and Monterey jack cheeses.

Form the mixture into a ball and roll it into the chopped pecans.  Serve with your favorite cracker or cookie.

This recipe is always a favorite when I sample and yesterday was no exception.  Although I like sampling this on Stonewall Kitchen's Sea Salt crackers, for this sampling (pumpkin theme), I used Dewey's Spiced Pumpkin cookies (a perfectly thin cookie). It hit all the notes of creamy, savory, and sweet. 

Old Farmhouse Chicken Salad Sandwiches
TFM's Rotisserie Chicken Salad
TFM's large croissants
1 jar Stonewall Kitchen Old Farmhouse Chutney
Shredded Monterey Jack/Colby cheese blend

Slice croissants in half (horizantally) and open.  On bottom half spread chutney.  Top with chicken salad.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Place top half of croissant on top of cheese.  Enjoy.

Using TFM's rotisserie chicken salad makes for a quick lunch.  On top of that, their rotisserie chicken salad was on special where if you purchased a pound, you got 1 box of large croissants for free.  

This recipe is also great for your leftover holiday turkey when making a sandwich.




With all the garnishes.  Delicious!
The Fresh Market's Pumpkin Bisque --- SOLD OUT!
This is already prepared and in the Deli's soup section.  Aside from heat and enjoy, you can garnish with sour cream, pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of La Tourangelle Walnut Oil.

I guess since I sold out (in one day no less), it's obvious this was a favorite. TFM's Pumpkin Bisque is delicious on it's own, but garnishing takes it to a whole new level.  Sour cream gives a little tang and creaminess.  Walnut Oil provides earthiness and nuttiness. Pumpkin seeds give a light salty crunch.

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Wine and Food Sampling - October 5th & 6th


I will have two tables this weekend and am able to do my thing!  Talk about a mental happy dance.

I've chosen to do all things pumpkin.  I'm feeling the season!  Plus a few employees have been asking me to sample the Pumpkin Butter and Pumpkin Salsa.  I just don't think they expected all samples pumpkin.

Saturday, October 5th (12:00 to 4:00 PM)
and
Sunday, October 6th (12:00 to 4:00 PM)

Wine 
  • I'll find something when I get to the store.

Food
  • Zoodles with Italian Sausage and Pumpkin Sauce
  • Pumpkin Salsa with Tortilla Chips
  • Pumpkin Butter with Pumpkin Cinnamon Swirl Bread
  • Pumpkin Cookies with Old Farmhouse Chutney Cheese Ball
  • Pumpkin Ginger Snaps



Wednesday, October 3, 2018

October 5th and 6th

Information for this weekend is coming.  Will post ... eventually.

HINT...


Recipes: Spaghetti Hearts of Palm Pesto Salad - Chicken with Buffalo Aioli and Blue Cheese

It was a great weekend for me ... Back in my element.  Two tables and aside from 2 required Corporate items, I was allowed to do my thing!  Plus my favorite customers all stopped in.  Wine. Oh the joy!

Two recipes were customer favorites.  


Spaghetti Hearts of Palm Pesto Salad
1 jar Zanuzzo Spaghetti from Hearts of Palm,
     drained
1 pkg. Mozzarella pearls
½ c. Sweetie Drops, drained
1 jar Stonewall Kitchen Basil Pesto or
     Artichoke Pesto
Olives, optional 
Pine nuts, toasted (optional)
Parmesan Cheese, grated

Drain Spaghetti and place in mixing bowl.

To taste, add: Mozzarella Pearls, Sweetie Drops, and olives.  Coat with Stonewall Kitchen Pesto.  Mix until thoroughly blended.  Garnish with pine nuts and cheese.

Serve.

If you like Hearts of Palm, then this recipe is for you.  Zanuzzo  from Hearts of Palm is not marinated and can be found with the dry pasta (not with marinated Hearts of Palm and olives).

Zanuzzo Spaghetti, and Lasagna, from Hearts of Palm is new into the store.  No one had a clue what to do with it, nor were there recipes on Zanuzzo's website; so I did my thing.

Next isn't so much a recipe, but a sampling idea.  Perfect for Tailgating.

Chicken with Buffalo Aioli and Blue Cheese
1 to 1½ lbs. shredded, or diced, Rotisserie Chicken
1 jar Stonewall Kitchen Buffalo Aioli 
1 wedge St. Pete's blue cheese

Mix chicken and Aioli.  Place on sandwiches and top with blue cheese.  

This was the best recipe of the day.  Perfect for wings as well.