Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Wine and Food Tasting: February 3rd (UPDATED Sunday - 2/3/19 9:45 AM)

Sunday,  February 3rd - I have no voice. Will not be working today.  Sorry.


Here I sit at the store planning what to sample to kick off your Super Bowl parties.  Soooo many recipes running through my mind.  What makes it worse, is we have all the product in stock that I'd need for sampling.  Decisions. Decisions.  Well, hopefully you won't be disappointed in what I do.


Saturday, February 2nd (12:00 to 4:00 PM)
and
Sunday, February 3rd (12:00 to 4:00 PM)


It will be TFM Corporates required sampling. 
     TFM Queso Dip
     TFM Verde Sauce
     TFM Avocado Sauce
     Laurel Hill GF Tortilla Chips
Plus ... I'll decide when I go into the store to set-up and prep. 

Stock-up wine this weekend is NEW!!!  Brownstone.  Not sure when the wine rep will be in to pour, but I think I'll kick off with that.





If you haven't already done so, please like the stores Facebook page!  Thanks.

Recipe: Beef Tortilla Soup - Crepe Fillings

Oh how I wanted to take my Instant Pot to work with me this weekend.  It makes cooking so easy and quick.  But, decided not to.  I'll work with what the store provides ... slow cooker and skillet on portable burner.



Had a number of conversations with customers about their Instant Pot.  So many have not taken theirs out of the box.  What can I say, but, "TAKE IT OUT OF THE BOX ALREADY!"  You will love using it.


Having saved the broth from last weekends Cuban Pot Roast, this weekend I prepared a Beef Tortilla Soup with it.  It was another HIT!


Beef Tortilla Soup
1 – 1½ lbs. cooked meat (ground beef, short ribs, stew meat, 
     Chorizo) seasoned with salt and pepper
3 c. broth from Cuban Pot Roast
1 Tbl. oil
¼ to ½ c. diced onion
½ lb. red potato, diced
1 pepper (Poblano, red bell pepper, 2 jalapeno), seeded 
     and diced
1 - 1½ c. corn (frozen or canned), drained
1 cans black beans
salt and pepper, to taste
Tortilla chips
Garnish: avocado, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, lime

Add oil to a hot soup pot.  Add onion and pepper.  Sauté until tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Add broth, meat and potato to pot.  Cover.  Simmer until potatoes are cooked. 

Stir in corn and black beans.  Heat until warm.

Serve over tortilla chips with your choice of garnishes - avocado, cheese, sour cream, cilantro and squeeze of lime.

I so enjoy making people happy with food.  Also, like to give them new recipes and ideas.  It was such a relief to me, that this recipe was a huge hit with customers and my TFM co-workers.  The little bit of soup that remained after my sampling was devoured by my co-workers the minute it hit the breakroom.

I'm thinking you could prepare the broth from the Cuban Pot Roast recipe.  However, it would be missing all the goodness of vegetables and chuck roast that cooked in it.  If you give this a try, please let me know how it turns out.



*****

Corporate's required sampling was TFM's Butter Crepes with whipped cream.  As with everything I do ... I decided to prepare a few toppings for sampling.  Also, provide a few additional topping ideas.

Crepe – Basic Fruit Filling
½ c. chopped or sliced fruit
2 Tbl. butter
2 Tbl. brown sugar
2 Tbl. orange juice, Grand Mariner, or combination
Pinch of cinnamon

In a small skillet, melt butter and brown sugar.

Add fruit and cook until sugar is dissolved.

Add juice/liquor and reduce heat.  Simmer until combined.

Add cinnamon.

Remove from heat and pour over crepes.


Banana (basic fruit filling) with mascarpone,
Cinnamon Vanilla Maple Syirup, and
Whipped Cream. Topped with Confectioners' Sugar.
Strawberries and Blueberries (basic fruit filling)
with mascarpone, and Whipped Cream. 
Topped with Confectioners' Sugar.


Lemon-Blueberry Filling
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 jar Stonewall Kitchen Lemon Curd
1 jar Stonewall Kitchen Wild Maine Blueberry Jam
Garnish: Fresh blueberries, Mint

In a medium mixing bowl, add cream cheese and lemon curd.  Mix until thoroughly blended.  Place lemon curd mixture in crepes.  Top with jam. Garnish with fresh blueberries and mint.  Serve.


Crepe Filling Ideas
  • Strawberries (can add fresh basil or mint)
  • Bananas
  • Berries (can add fresh mint)
  • Stonewall Kitchen/Tillen Farms Bada Bing Cherries
  • Nutella
  • Sweetened cream cheese or Mascarpone (to sweeten, mix with powdered sugar and a touch of vanilla extract)
  • Chocolate Sauce
  • Bourbon Maple Syrup
  • Cinnamon Vanilla Maple Syrup
  • Jams

Friday, January 25, 2019

Wine and Food Tasting - January 26th & 27th

Heading off to the store to get this weekends sampling in order.  Below is the plan.


Saturday, January 26th (12:00 to 4:00 PM) 

Sunday, January 27th (12:00 to 4:00 PM) 


Food
  • Crepes - (Corporate required sampling, but I'll add my $2.00 worth)
  • Beef Tortilla Soup (using broth from last weekends Cuban Pot Roast)
  • ??? - something for Super Bowl parties

Monday, January 21, 2019

Recipe: Cuban Pot Roast - Instant Pot

What a GREAT way to start 2019!  A fantastic recipe and a lot of conversation.

The recipe I prepared for sampling was a HUGE hit with customers and with my wonderful TFM co-workers.  People were telling people to sample; so much fun for me.  A lot of product/ingredients sold and that is my goal.  Thank you customers!  Thank you Stacy (she's our Coffee/Bulk Specialist) for giving me this recipe!

It was so much fun chatting with everyone about my Instant Pot as well.  (Later in the post for that.)


Now for THE recipe ...

As I said in the beginning - HUGE hit with this recipe.  Stacy gave it to me for personal use.  When I saw TFM Corp. required sampling ... I knew it wouldn't work for me.  I had to also do my own thing.  It was a new year and people start dieting, there's cold weather and comfort food is always on my list, plus Superbowl is approaching and this would be a nice dish to serve.

I served this on a flour tortilla, topped with guacamole and shredded Mexican blend cheese.


CUBAN POT ROAST
(Adapted from I Breathe I’m Hungry, Mellissa Sevigny - A Keto Cuban Pot Roast recipe in the style of Ropa Vieja. Made in the slow cooker or Instant Pot. You can serve it low carb, dairy free, Paleo, and even Whole 30 compliant!)

2½ – 3 lb boneless chuck roast
¾ c. salsa verde
7 to 8 oz. canned chopped green chiles
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 onion, cut into strips
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1 each - red and yellow peppers, seeded and cut into strips
2 Tbl. ground cumin
1 Tbl. ground coriander
1 Tbl. chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 Tbl. apple cider vinegar
½ c. beef broth
Kosher salt
black pepper

Generously season roast with salt and pepper.

To a medium bowl, add remaining ingredients (excluding salt and pepper); use broth if cooking in Instant Pot. Stir. Set aside.


To make in the Instant Pot:
Sear in the Instant Pot using the sauté function, until browned on all sides.  Add remaining ingredient mixture.

Seal the Instant Pot and set to PRESSURE cook for 45 minutes.  Turn KEEP WARM off.

When the timer goes off, release the pressure using quick release. When all the steam and pressure has released, remove the cover.  Remove meat to a baking sheet/pan with rims.  Shred meat with two forks, removing any connective tissue and fat.  Add back to pot.


To make in the crock pot:
Sear in a hot pan until browned on all sides.

Place the meat in the bottom of a 5 qt. slow cooker.  Deglaze pan with enough broth to cover bottom of pan.  Pour over meat.

Add remaining ingredient mixture.

Cook 4 hours on HIGH or 6 hours on LOW.

Remove the meat to a baking sheet/pan with rims.  Shred the meat with two forks, removing any connective tissue.  Add back to slow cooker.


Serve over your choice – rice,  egg noodles, lettuce, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, tortilla shells, tortilla chips, etc.

Serve with your choice of toppings – cilantro, guacamole, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese, sour cream, lime, etc.

At home, I served this over rice.  We all felt rice did not do the meat justice.  Flour tortillas were our preference with cheese and avocado.

This recipe has a lot of broth/goodness when it's finished cooking. I remove it before serving and put it on the side in case someone wants to add it to their dish (it would be great when served over rice, noodles, potatoes, etc.).  After that, I saved the broth and made a soup with it; that will be next weekends sampling.  I have this weekends broth in the store's freezer.  Can't wait.

*****

 
Instant Pot
In order to quickly prepare the Cuban Pot Roast, I brought my Instant Pot with me to the store.  Although the store has a slow cooker, I really didn't want to wait that long for the meat to cook and PRESSURE cook was my preferred method.  To say I LOVE my Instant Pot is an understatement.  I wish I didn't have 7 slow cookers at the store.  All I typically need is an Instant Pot - sauté, slow cook, pressure cook, keep warm ... ONE pot. ONE clean-up.

So many conversations with customers about this wonder pot.  Who gave as a gift.  Who recently purchased for themselves, or received as a gift.  Several customers said they're afraid to used it.  WHAT?!  Others say it changed their lives.  I can tell you this is getting a work out at my house.


Friday, January 18, 2019

Wine and Food Tasting - January 19th & 20th

With the crazy of the holidays over, I've gone back to NY to visit my parents, and took the little munchkin with me.  After that I was in slow mode and am now trying to get back in the swing of things.

I am working this weekend.  It is a required Corporate sampling, but I had to add my $5.00 worth.  When you look at the food, I'm sure you can tell which is Corporate and which is my choice.



Saturday, January 19th (12:00 to 4:00 PM) 

Sunday, January 20th (12:00 to 4:00 PM) 

Wine 
  • Biltmore Estate White Zinfandel
  • Hess Select Chardonnay
  • Big House Prohibition Red
  • Predator Old Vine Zinfandel

Food
  • Dr. Brew Kombucha Tumeric Ginger
  • Rebbi Tumeric Golden Milk
  • Wedderspon Apple Cider Vinegar with Manuka Honey
  • Keto Cuban Pot Roast


FYI - I will also be working next weekend, January 26th and 27th.

RECIPE INDEX 2018

* Represents, TFM Taste Taster and customer favorite recipes.

2013 RECIPE INDEX
2014 RECIPE INDEX   
2015 RECIPE INDEX
2016 RECIPE INDEX
2017 RECIPE INDEX

A
Asiago Sun-Dried Tomato Spread #2
B
Beer Cheese Brat Dip
Bowtie Provolini Pesto Salad
Buffalo Chicken Spread/Dip

C
Charcuterie and Cheese Board
Chicken Fajita Soup
Chicken with Buffalo Aioli and Blue Cheese
Corn and Black Bean Salsa

D
Dried Fruits with Cheese

E


F

G
Greek Feta, Olive Orzo Salad

H
I

J
Jalapeno Popper Dip


K


L
Lemon Herb Shrimp Dip
Lemony Zucchini and Yellow Squash Salad

M


N


O
Old Farmhouse Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Old Farmhouse Chutney Cheeseball
- Over Cream Cheese/Cheese
     * Terrapin Ridge Hot Pepper Bacon Jam

P
Peppadews Stuffed with Spicy Southwest Dip
Pizza Dip
Pumpkin Sausage Pasta Sauce
Q

     
R