So I was so excited to get invited to two different Connecticut blogger events this week. One I was unable to attend because I was a little bit under the weather and it was 1000 degrees so I didn't think that was the best idea. So the event that I attended on Thursday night was a We love Local event sponsored by Whole Foods in Glastonbury. I was able to bring my dear friend Gina as my plus one and it was a great time. The whole food chefs as well as some local companies had a great spread of local goods for us to taste test. Below is are my pictures from the event along with a copy my favorite recipe from the event.
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| Upon entering the event we were greeted by these beauties fresh native organic strawberries (on sale for 1.99) paired with some amazing local chocolate in three different flavors. The most interesting one was by far the chocolate with the corn flakes |
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| Next up was this amazing fresh local corn. The Whole Foods chef prepared it by grilling it and glazing it with a mix of soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. I would never have thought to put these items together on corn but it was amazing. There was a lovely little bit of caramelization on the corn-I even sampled the ones without butter. |
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| One of my favorite dishes was a fresh vegetable salad. It contained various types of beans, red onion, tomatoes, and some Chinese noodles on top. Then for on top of the salad was an amazing vinaigrette that had local fresh raspberries and blackberries. I can say that it was a little bit odd with the crunch noodles, crisp veggies, and sweet dressing, but it was delicious nevertheless. Although I might not make the salad (I liked it not loved it) the dressing is a must make again. |
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| This was the item that I needed to control myself with a bit. Since I am lactose intolerant I really wanted to sample all the flavors but I knew my stomach would not go for that. This ice cream company is based in norwalk where my BFF lives and they are tea inspired flavors. AMAZING. I tried the Masala Chai, Ginger Matcha, and Chamomile Honey. Check them out here |
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| For drink samples there was yummy frozen hot cocoa from www.cissetrading.com and these tasty treats. These are both yummy drinks or drink starters if you like a cocktails. I LOVED THESE!!! In fact I looked around Whole Foods for them to buy some. I love anything sour so these were right up my alley. My favorite were the first two which I would so drink over crushed ice or mixed with seltzer. For me this was a perfect beverage for the super hot 100 degree CT weather. Check them out here. |
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| Lastly on the tour was delicious homemade sauce. Now considering that my date and myself are Italian girls who learned from a Nona how to make sauce, we can officially be called a sauce snobs! So we were skeptical of a jarred sauce. We were pleasantly surprised. This sauce is made lovingly in small batches the same way that both of us make sauce at home. It was sampled with a great bread to dip in, but you know it was good when I was drinking it out of the little cup it was served in. Now nothing beats homemade, but this is a great sauce to have in the pantry for those times where there is no time to go homemade. Check out the website here |
Now as I went to go write this post I realized that I had no pictures of my absolute favorite sample of the entire night. It was a lazy man's blueberry crisp. Let me start by saying that I have been dying to go blueberry picking because I love fresh blueberries. This was an super easy recipe and delicious. I asked and am allowed to share the recipe so here it is.....as zoo as I get blueberries I will be making this!
Blueberry Granola Crisp
Ingredients:
1 Jar 365 blueberry jam
2 Pints of blueberries
2 Cups of Mainely Maple Granola (found in the bulk dept.)
On stove top mix 1/2 jar of blueberry jam with 1 pint of blueberries. Cooking until it is warm, melted, and bubbly.
Cool mixture for a few minutes. Pour stove top mixture into a baking pan (as your bottom layer).
Next add 1 pint of fresh blueberries on top of the cooked mixture.
Next add granola as a top layer.
Chill and serve.
A great big thank you to Whole Foods for the invite...I can't wait for the next one!
It was great meeting you!! Hope to catch you again sometime!
Hi! Just a slight correction, it was Mirin ( a sweet rice wine) not rice wine vinegar I used. Here's the full recipe:
Japanese-style Grilled Corn on the Cob
Ingredients:
6 ears of fresh corn (preferably local) still in their husks
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Mirin (Japanese Sweet Cooking Wine)
1/2 Stick melted butter (unsalted)
Pull husks back on corn just enough so that you can remove the stringy silk, then close husks again. If you have time, soak corn in cold water for 30 minutes. If you don't have time, don't worry, just be ready to move your corn around frequently to keep the husks from burning. Grill corn over high heat, turning as necessary for about 15 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. Make your glaze by blending soy sauce, mirin and melted butter. When corn is cool enough to touch, peel back the husks. You can remove them entirely, or just fold them back to leave yourself with a decorative "handle". Brush corn all over with the glaze and return to the grill. Turn corn frequently so that the outside caramelizes slightly but does not burn.