El's Kitchen Seasonings: Versatile Dry Rubs 6 Ways Ingredients Spices Deanna Foster October 05, 2009 I followed my nose at the Blues and BBQ Festival in Westport last weekend, moving in many directions from one flaming grill to the next, when amidst all the smoke, one flavorful bite of spice rubbed grilled chicken stopped me in my tracks. The scent did not lie; the taste did not disappoint. The chicken was grilled with El’s Kitchen Chicken and Pork Medium Spicy Dry Rub and Seasoning Mix. The small sample was so flavorful; I bought a jar on the spot. Home cooking proved the tastiness could be achieved without festival accoutrement, and I called Eleanor Smith, the owner and the “El” of El’s Kitchen, who lives in Weston to learn more about her products. Read More
From the Farm to Your Door: CTFFE Delivers Ingredients Delivery Service Organic Farm Fresh Deanna Foster October 01, 2009 What would you say if you could support Connecticut farmers and small business entrepreneurs, reduce your carbon footprint and enjoy a wide variety of locally grown, farm fresh food with just a few clicks of your mouse? “Bring it on!” comes to mind. Which is just what I did when I heard about CT Farm Fresh Express. This wonderful service recently arrived in Fairfield County, bringing Connecticut grown produce, meat, dairy, baked goods and other products right to your front door. Now, you can leave the shopping and the driving to Deb Marsden, who began her service, CTFFE, in February ’08 Read More
It's All Greek To Me @ Steve's Market in Norwalk Ingredients Greek Norwalk Specialty Market Jenny Vynerib September 24, 2009 When I decided to throw a Greek-themed dinner party, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to find my stuffed grape leaves, taramasalata, and fresh feta in Fairfield County. Ye of little faith. After doing a little research, I found a place that sounded promising on Main Street in Norwalk called Steve’s Market. Filled with imported Greek produced specialty grocery items, prepared foods, religious relics and wonderful baked goods – Steve’s couldn’t be more authentic. It was like walking into a little shop on a side street in Athens, Greece. Little did I know that after one visit to Steve’s, it would become one of the stores on my “weekly visit” list. Read More
5PM is the New Tea Time: Bigelow Does Happy Hour Ingredients Cocktails Recipe Tea And Coffee CTbites Team September 15, 2009 Tracy Holleran is a local blogger and founder of The Secret Ingredient Cooking School. She has taken tea to a whole new level with these innovative cocktails. Read on... Some like it hot. Others prefer it iced. But tea as a mixer for cocktails? When I teamed up with Fairfield-based Bigelow Tea to develop recipes using their many brews, that is exactly what we had in mind. Sure, I developed a wide variety of dishes, both sweet and savory, but these cocktails with a twist seemed to garner most of the attention. There are two important steps to making your tea infused cocktail: 1. For maximum flavor, prepare a super-concentrated brew using several tea bags. 2. Once the tea is lightly sweetened with some sugar, put it into the freezer to chill for about 30-45 minutes. In no time, you’re ready to start shaking, stirring, and sipping! Mix up a batch of these cocktails and this will be one tea party no adult will want to miss! Here are two of my favorites: Read More
Easy Fall Fruit Picking @ Bishops Orchards Farm Ingredients Guilford Local Farm Shoreline East kids activity Farm Fresh Kid Friendly Deanna Foster September 11, 2009 When I reluctantly moved to Los Angeles at the beginning of this decade, I missed our annual fall apple and berry picking trip so much that I dragged a posse of ex-East Coasters and their small children to the closest orchard (two hours into the desert) to pick apples one hot October Sunday. To put it mildly, apple picking in California is a sad facsimile of the real deal here in New England. The air was heavy, we were sweaty and the only ones enjoying the adventure were the children– they didn’t know any better. Being back in New England, where there really is a fall season and apples taste like, well apples, we recently took advantage of the pick your own trifecta: September peaches, apples and raspberries and visited Bishops Orchards in Guilford, CT. Read More
Suckerborne Suckers...This Ain't Your Ordinary Lolli Ingredients New Canaan Dessert Sarah Green September 08, 2009 Photo c/o Suckerborne THESE SUCK!!! and they say there’s a SUCKERBORNE every day. Turns out, it's true. Read on.... Finally, a sophisticated and spectacular lollipop designed for adult palettes. Using nothing but sugar, a stick, and some outrageously decadent yet all natural ingredients, Darien resident Megan Ferrell has entered the candy market with chic and style. These lollipops have the power to transcend. For every day a sucker is born, there is a Suckerborne: Monday- you are in your mini van on one of the endless schelpps from one soccer game to another ballet class. Where do you want to be? Under a blanket with your lover, real or imaginary, watching the waves pound the Vineyard shore. It seems a long way from reality to fantasy. But there is hope. One lick of Suckerborne’s “Dark and Stormy” and you’re there! From the first taste, the ginger beer nips at your tongue. Then, quietly, the dark and moody Premium Black Seal Rum comes from behind to bathe your mouth in a delicate splash of fire. Monday is boring. “Dark and Stormy” is inspiring! Read More
Spice Up Movie Night with Penzeys (Popcorn) Spices Ingredients Norwalk Specialty Market Spices Recipe Stephanie Webster September 01, 2009 Recently my husband brought home a spice from Penzeys Spices in Norwalk. It looked harmless enough. It was the Smoky Penzeys 4/S, where the so-called "4S's" stood for special seasoned sea salt. Sure, I've had smoked sea salt before, and yes, they do add great flavor to chicken, beef or fish, but this "all purpose smoky salt" touted one more tasty possibility. Upon reading the words "…even popcorn" my husband and I decided to give it a try for the Sunday night line-up. We popped up a large batch on the stove top - the old school way - sprinkled on a generous amount of the 4/S while the kernels were still hot, and raced over to the TIVO. After the first bite, I could no longer focus on the screen. I had to run downstairs to add more spice to the crunchy corn and only then could I carry on. The salty smokiness of this seasoning is absolutely wonderful, and really turns your average bowl of popcorn into a gourmet treat. I've had a lot of seasoned popcorn, but with ingredients like smoked paprika, black pepper, rosemary, and thyme, this spice was a winner, and it's reasonably priced at $2.95 for 4 ounces. Given the unexpected joy in this little brown canister, I went back to Penzeys to inquire about other popcorn possibilities. Read More
Fabulous Fish Finds @ Fjord Fisheries Ingredients Features Cos Cob Seafood Specialty Market Westport Deanna Foster August 25, 2009 I can deal with tomatoes that aren’t as good as I had hoped - there’s always tomato sauce; an inferior cut of meat can lead to a great stew. But fish that isn’t the highest quality or supremely fresh? That is just unacceptable in my book. Fortunately, we have a number of fish market options in Fairfield County, many of which are very good. Markets like Pagano’s in Norwalk, and Superior Fish in Westport certainly have their followings, but after doing a thorough sampling, I have found that one stands apart from its peers: Fjord Fisheries. Fjord gets my vote on two counts: quality and selection. I recently spoke with Jardar Nygaard, Fjord’s owner, who shared the secret to his outstanding product. Read More
Home Made Indian Fare in a Flash Ingredients healthy Recipe Indian r2d2 August 20, 2009 As I walked into my house the other day, distracted with thoughts of what to make for dinner for our houseguests, I was greeted by a sweet scent of ginger and curry wafting through the door. I was famished after a long day and was downright tickled to find a delicious terrine of spinach, chickpeas, and Indian spices stewing on my stovetop. I sighed, thinking how pleasant it was to have houseguests after all! My dear friend Jackie and her Indian husband, Habib, were staying a few nights on their way up to Maine. As I lifted the lid and took in the tantalizing aroma, I was transported back to Jackie and Habib’s wedding in a Tribeca loft, where Habib’s mother had seemingly spent weeks preparing the most sumptuous Indian fare for their wedding reception. I had heard from Jackie that Habib had inherited his mother’s cooking skills as well as their old family kitchen secrets, but I had never experienced it firsthand. Turns out, anyone can enjoy this home made Indian fare without spending hours in the kitchen. Read More
A Better Bread: Wave Hill Breads in Wilton Ingredients Bakery Special Dietary Needs Wilton healthy Breakfast Stephanie Webster August 11, 2009 My first experience with Wave Hill Breads was at The Dressing Room in Westport. Ordinarily, when the "bread course" arrives, I sample but only pick as I like to save my appetite for the main event. That evening, however, when the waiter strolled to the table, the smell of freshly baked bread immediately altered the dining plan. It was warm to the touch, had a strong crunchy crust, and the kind of dense spongy inside that has great mouthfeel. It required no spread. It was perfect all by itself... although the sweet creamy butter slathered on sure didn't hurt. When asked where this resplendent loaf had whence come, they answered Wave Hill Breads. Googling Wave Hill Breads from the restaurant, I found to my great excitement, that these lovely loaves were made locally in Wilton, in a small bakery right off Route 7. I was there the following day. I had to find out more. Read More
A Taste of Greece in CT: Beltane Farm Goats Milk Yogurt Ingredients Greenwich Organic Farm Fresh Cheese Deanna Foster July 26, 2009 A few years ago, I tasted yogurt on the Greek island of Paros and it changed my life. Well, maybe not my life, but definitely my mornings. I now start every morning with a bowl of greek yogurt topped with fruit and granola. It’s routine, but never boring and it satisfies my subconscious craving to be back in Greece. I’ve enjoyed Fage, which is also made in Greece, is thick, creamy and has a slight sweetness to its tang. Trader Joe’s makes a Greek-style yogurt, and I give him points for trying, but his is farther removed from the real deal. I thought I was happy alternating between these two brands until I recently tasted Beltane Farm Goat Milk Yogurt, which is delicious and with just a little imagination nearly transported me back to Paros. Read More
Local Gelateria Brings Milan to Your Market Ingredients Italian Dessert Stephanie Webster July 25, 2009 I always enjoy walking into Whole Foods, but last week the trip was extra sweet. A representative from Gelato Giuliana, a local authentic Italian gelateria, was handing out samples of their handmade frozen dessert. Never one to turn down anything sweet, I raced over for their signature LaGiuliana (made with expresso, marscapone, and chocolate) and a personal favorite, coconut. Both were creamy, intensely flavorful, and had that "made that morning" freshness. Here comes the best part...This local Gelateria (with a storefront in Glastonbury), has been for years selling primarily to restaurants like Aqua (Westport), and Mediterraneo (Greenwich), but is now making their artisan gelato available in pints at many local markets including Whole Foods, Garelick & Herbs, A & P Fresh in Greenwich, and Stiles Farmer's Market in Westport. I walked out with containers of Tiramisu and Poma Di Currant, excited to share my find with our dinner guests that evening. Read More
Tart Wars...The Final Frontier Ingredients Dessert Sarah Green July 17, 2009 Come to the dark side, the tart wars have begun! I recently reviewed the delectably naughty “tart” frozen yogurt from Robeks in Westport. But it seems that frozen-treat warriors from across Fairfield county are trying to use the force to take over Robek’s extra-terrestrial powers! Trader Joe’s now has its own brand of the tangy frozen dessert and Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk is mounting its own battle against the cosmic powers of Robek’s supremacy. The question is, does either foe stand a chance at tart superiority? I think not. Read More
A Better Tuna Sandwich Ingredients Nicole Straight June 30, 2009 I picked up this Tonnino Yellowfin Tuna Fillets with Oregano during one of my frequent outings to our local Whole Foods. I must confess that I am not a big fan of the creamy tuna sandwich, but have always loved the Italian tuna packed in olive oil the way we ate it while in Positano many years ago. I was excited to find this brand of chunk tuna in extra virgin olive oil. Tonnino packages their product in glass jars to maintain the flavor of their premium tuna. It is a little more expensive than Chicken of the Sea, at about $6 a jar, but the flavor is worth every penny. Read More
Chef Shortcut: Try Chardonnay Smoked Salt Ingredients Spices Nicole Straight June 16, 2009 I found this Chardonnay Smoked Fleur de Selin Whole Foods the other day. It's made by a company called India Tree, and has a distinct smoky smell and flavor making it the perfect seasoning for fish, chicken, or even freshly sauteed spinach with a squeeze of lemon juice. It's a great shortcut to a uniquely tasty meal. Here is a great recipe for Cod that features this food find: Read More
