The Great Stuffing Battle

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Friends, I can’t believe it: Thanksgiving is almost here. (Wasn’t it just the Fourth of July? I swear it was …

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Crafting a New Taste for Beer

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Ever heard the term “craft beer”? Chances are you probably have—especially lately. As diners look for more and more variety in the food and beverages they want to try, craft beer is growing in popularity.

So what is it, exactly? Craft beer is beer brewed at a microbrewery—a small, independent beer brewery that can only produce up to 6 million beer barrels a year. Now, that may sound like a lot, but when you consider how much beer companies like Annheiser-Busch produce annually, it’s really not that much. Craft beers, as a rule, receive smaller distribution than commercial ones, making them a little harder to find—but very worth it when you do!

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Grilled pork chops with Kumquat marmalade

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My son Eric  created this recipe. It is amazing and very tasteful so a small amount goes a long way.

1 package kumquats-sliced thin, stems removed

2TBSp. brandy

3 TBSP. red wine vinegar

3 TBSP. sugar

1 TBSP. butter

½ cup orange juice

1 TBSP. apricot marmalade

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

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1 slider, 2 sliders, 3 sliders, MORE!

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By Lauren M. Kritsas

I feel like everything is going towards personal and small portion route these days right?  There’s cupcakes instead of full slices of cake, flat breads instead of whole pizzas, tapas bars are all the rage…the list literally goes on and on!  I for one am in total favor!  We’re all guilty of order from the menu, getting a heaping portion, and then loving it so much that we over indulge!  Belly up, bloated and overstuffed, ew.  I’m loving the predetermined plate size that lets you be a little more discerning and cognizant of where and how calories are being consumed.

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Whoopie! (Pie, That Is)

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Cupcakes started it all, of course—those individual treats that went from second-grade-class-party staple to haute couture in a matter of months. (Seriously, how many cupcake shops have sprouted up in your city recently? I’ve counted at least three in mine.)

And now , thanks to the cupcake trend, mini-cupcakes (and mini-everything, really), doughnuts and cakepops have heightened in popularity, as well.  But there’s another classic that’s having its moment in the spotlight, as well: whoopie pies. Whoopie pies are a bit ambiguous in that they can be considered cookie, cake or pie, thanks to the soft pieces of chocolate cake that surround a creamy frosting center. But no matter how you classify them, one thing is certain: They are delicious.

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Flatbread Fiesta

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Flatbread. The word is what it sounds like, isn’t it? Essentially, flatbreads are, well, flattened pieces of bread. And as we all know, bread is pretty fantastic by itself. In fact, it’s one of my favorite things. But when you add toppings to that flatbread, that’s when things start to get interesting—and delicious.

Flatbread itself is unleavened bread that’s made with flour, water and salt and then rolled out (flattened) into dough. Some flatbreads contain yeast, but traditional flatbread does not; however, the combination of spices and oils that can be added to the dough are endless—think olive oil, sesame oil, curry powder or chili powder. And flatbreads, technically speaking, run the gamut of breads—things like tortillas, pita and even crepes can be grouped into the flatbread family.

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