Wine and Food Tasting - March 30th and 31st

I ended up working last Sunday; store manager asked if I could come in.  So ... I'm taking off this weekend.  But, I will be thinking about what to sample upcoming weekends.  I'll see what's exciting in the store and then work it in with what TFM Corp. wants me to sample.

Wine and Food Tasting - March 23rd & 24th

I'm taking the weekend off.  Corporate required sampling is ... ho-hum and I have no motivation to put party it up.  

I'll see what next weekend brings ...

Recipes: Instant Pot Corned Beef - Instant Pot Corned Beef, Cabbage, Potatoes and Carrots - Thousand Island Dressing

YES! You can cook Corned Beef in the Instant Pot!

The pressure (no pun intended) is on this year.  Using my Instant Pot, Cuban Pot Roast and Beef Tortilla Soup have been a HUGE hit.  This weekend it was Corned Beef (recipe below).  (In between were numerous other delicious recipes.)  How I can keep up this streak for another 9 months ...?

So, this weekends task was to cook Corned Beef so we didn't have a lot left over after St. Patrick's Day.  Although I vowed not to bring my Instant Pot from home, I knew I had to.  It would be the quick and delicious way to sample and sell.   By the end of Saturday we SOLD OUT and 3 more cases (36 corned beef) were brought in from another TFM for Sunday.  I sold just over half of that.

Customers were amazed you could cook a corned beef in the Instant Pot.  Everyone said the meat was tender, moist and flavorful.

Instant Pot Corned Beef

Broth (select one):

    #1:  12 oz. Guiness Draught Stout

            2 c. water

     #2:  4½ c. water

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 corned beef brisket (rinsed) with spice pack

Place trivet inside Instant Pot.

To pot add broth, garlic and spice pack.  Place brisket on trivet, fat side up.  Close and lock the lid. 

Select MEAT/STEW (or PRESSURE) and turn off KEEP WARM.  Make sure vent is sealed.  Cook for 80 minutes. 

Release pressure using quick-release method.  Remove lid and transfer brisket to cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes.  Thinly slice brisket across the grain and transfer to serving platter.

I used MEAT/STEW setting.

The aroma, when pressure is released, is amazing.  Customers told me they could smell it when they walked in the store.  Co-workers and employees could not stop eating this.  

*****

I did not prepare vegetables at the store, but I did prepare at home for my St. Patrick's Day dinner. The recipes I found online said to cook for 5 minutes.  However, my carrots and potatoes were slightly overcooked, and the cabbage was mush.  Although I haven't tried the following recipe with 3 minutes cook time, I'm thinking this is more realistic. 

Instant Pot Corned Beef, Cabbage, Potatoes and Carrots

4 to 5 Red or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered

4 to 5 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

1 head green cabbage, cut into thick wedges, core intact

Prepare Corned Beef according to recipe above. After it is removed to cutting board, (leaving trivet in) add potatoes, carrots, and then cabbage (on top) to Instant Pot.  Close and lock the lid. 

Select PRESSURE and turn off KEEP WARM.  Make sure vent is sealed.  Cook for 3 minutes. 

Release pressure using quick-release method.  Place on serving platter with sliced Corned Beef.

*****

Saturday, customers had the option to also sample an mini-open face Ruben.  TFM does not sell Thousand Island Dressing, so I made my own.  

  

Thousand Island Dressing

1 c. Mayonnaise

¼ c. Ketchup

¼ c. + 2 Tbl. Sweet pickle relish, drained


Open Face Ruben Sandwich
1 slice bread (typically rye)
Thousand Island Dressing
Corned Beef, room temperature
Sauerkraut*
Jarlsberg Swiss Cheese
Mayonnaise

Spread one slide of bread with mayonnaise.  Place mayo side down in an oven safe sauté pan.  Heat until bottom of bread is golden brown.  Spread Thousand Island Dressing on top side of bread.  Top (in this order) with Corned Beef, sauerkraut and Jarlsberg.  Place under broiler, or heat in oven, until cheese is melted.

*The Sauerkraut I used was new in the store, in dairy case.  It had garlic and dill pickle in it.  YUM!

Wine and Food Tasting - March 16th & 17th

  

Saturday, March 16th 

and

Sunday, March 17th

(12:00 to 4:00 PM)


I'm back at TFM 4600 Commonwealth Pkwy!  Serving up Corned Beef, prepared in my 
Instant Pot.

Food

• Corned Beef
• Ruben Bites
• Irish Soda Bread
• Kerry Gold Butter
• Guinness Stout Cheese

Wine

• Not sure what (or if) I'll pour.  But, Saturday, Libby is pouring Stock-Up wine.  She'll be there 1:00 to 4:00.  Hopefully I'll have her setup with me.

Food Tasting - March 9th

I will be at the 
Fresh Market on Huguenot!  

I am working for myself (Bite Size Presentations), sampling Runamok Maple syrups. I have to say, they are quite delicious.

Saturday, March 2nd (12:00 to 4:00 PM)

• Runamok Maple
• Bourbon Barrel Aged Organic Maple Syrup
• Cinnamon + Vanilla Infused Organic Maple Syrup
• Sugarmaker's Cut The Season's Best Organic Maple Syrup

I will be back at the Commonwealth Pkwy. TFM March 16th and 17th.  Libby will be with me on the 16th. She's pouring the Stock-Up wine.

Recipe: Bada Bing-gria

Senor Poochacho and I had a great time Saturday sampling a Nacho/Taco Bar.  Senor Poochacho did a lot of singing and dancing thanks to customers and co-workers.

Three hit products for the day:

     1. Chorizo

     2. Stonewall Kitchen's Spicy Corn Relish

     3. TFM's White Queso

Sold a lot of Chorizo and out of the other two products!

The only recipe I had available for customers was for Sangria; HUGE HIT.

Bada Bing-gria

1 bottle  Le Grand Noir Pinot Noir

½ c. POMegranate juice

½ to 1 c. Tillen Farms Bada Bing Cherry juice (from cherry bottle)

¼ c. orange liqueur or brandy (optional)

lemon-lime soda, to taste (optional)

Sliced, light colored, fruit of your choosing: 

          Bada Bing Cherries (whole), orange, lime, apple, kiwi

Pour all (cold) ingredients in a pitcher.  Serve.

Customers enjoyed the flavor - light fruit, not too sweet.  Also, easy to prepare, with few ingredients.  "This is delicious." was the comment frequently used.

Le Grand Noir was TFM's stock-up wine.  At $7 this was a nice price point for mixing.  It's a dryer Pinot Noir and not very fruity.  You can use any wine that you enjoy - I did consider using Le Grand's Rose, but it was too acidic and I didn't want to chance it.

Stonewall Kitchen/Tillen Farms' Bada Bing cherries are much more flavorful than Maraschino cherries.  Also, not as sweet.  When you prepare this recipe, I recommend starting with 1/2 cup of cherry juice and build from there, until you get to your desired sweetness.

I did not use lemon-lime soda, or any soda.  Customers agreed, the sangria did not need it.

I'm not able to use liqueur in the store, but if you want a kick to your Sangria add orange liqueur or brandy (1/4 cup or to taste).

CHEERS!

Wine and Food Tasting - March 2nd (UPDATED)

Come to the store, sample, be inspired and grocery shop!

Join me and mi amigo Senor Poochacho 
for a
Nacho/Taco Bar sampling

Saturday, March 2nd (12:00 to 4:00 PM)

v  Chorizo

v  Salsa:   

            t  Stonewall Kitchen 

                - Mango Lime Salsa

                - Pineapple Chipotle Salsa

        t  Mrs. Renfro’s 

                - Black Bean Salsa

                - Medium Salsa

                - Ghost Pepper Salsa

                                         
v  Stonewall Kitchen Spicy Corn Relish

      v  Mrs. Renfro's Ghost Nacho Cheese Dip

v  Pickled Jalapeno

v  Guacamole

v  TFM White Queso 

v  Fresco Queso Campesino 

v  Xochitl Tortilla Chips

v  Bada Bing-gria

Libby will be pouring the Stock-Up wine (1:00 to 4:00 PM) - 

La Grand Noir. 2/$14.   

I hope to have her set-up at the table with me; otherwise, near me.