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Highlights – Newport Mansions Wine and Food Festival

September 24, 2012 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 8 comments

Another perfect Autumn Saturday, another gorgeous Newport backdrop, another year full of delicious food and tasting new wines, all wrapped up in the 2012 Newport Mansions Wine and Food Festival. This was my fourth time attending this event, and while it wasn’t my favorite year, it was still a great way to spend a day.

Newport Mansions

{The view from Marble House, Newport Mansions Wine and Food Festival}

Jacques Pepin{Jacques and Claudine Pepin – I grew up watching them, so many beautiful memories}

Kerrygold cheese{Kerrygold cheese and butter are always welcome sites}

image

{Kielbasa from Castle Hill Inn}

Nicholas Feuillate

 

{Beautiful bubbles from Nicolas Feuillate}

Nicolas FeuillateChateau D'Eclans Whispering Angel{Chateau D’Esclans Whispering Angel, a favorite}

St. Germain cocktail{The festival could be renamed the St. Germain cocktail festival. These were flowing all day, and the St. Germain booth was quite popular.}

short ribs

{Tender short ribs in a sweet and spicy sauce}

smoked salmon and orange

{Light and fresh orange and smoked salmon}

Georgetown Cupcake

{Georgetown Cupcake}

Lorenza Rose

{Lorenza Rosé – one of my favorite discoveries of the day, a beautiful wine from fun mother-daughter team}

 

The festival was a little different this year in that it had fewer vendors, making for extra space under the tent. I found it to be a little less exciting than past years with less variety and barely any bubbly! And unfortunately many of the people pouring wine seemed like they didn’t want to be bothered telling us anything about the wines or even paying attention to us. There were plenty of exceptions, of course, but the overall vibe felt a little colder  and less energetic. The crowd was a little less polite than in past years; when will people learn to take their sample of wine and step to the side to taste it?

I heard from another attendee that Sunday was really great and that the people pouring wine were really conversational and interested in sharing information. Perhaps everyone needed to warm up a little!

It was a tiring weekend, but I am excited about the week ahead. Did you do anything fun over the weekend?

 

Tags: events, Food, Newport, Travel, wine, wine and food

Sunday Dinner

September 17, 2012 in Food by traveleatlove | 8 comments

One thing I miss when hot summer days roll in is the leisurely ritual of Sunday dinner. On summer Sundays, you’re more likely to find us on the boat until well after sunset than at the dinner table, and we’re likely eating some sort of finger food, not a home cooked meal. While most people use Labor Day as the marker for end of summer, we tend to use our boating season, which ends at the end of October. Unfortunately, the weather sometimes refuses to acknowledge that, and yesterday brought gusty winds that would have made for a not-so-fun boat day. Instead, I did Autumn things, errands, cooking, and baking, and we had our first Sunday dinner in a long time.

The menu:

roasted chicken with a boiled cider glaze

crispy kale

roasted sweet potatoes, acorn squash, butternut squash

apple cider cake (post to come later this week)

roast chicken

The main component of dinner was a whole chicken, roasted simply with butter, pepper, and salt. While the chicken roasted, I boiled down apple cider into a delicious, syrupy consistency to use as a sauce for the chicken and vegetables. A cider glaze was definitely a good idea.

cider reduction

I cooked the chicken, sweet potatoes, and squash for a little over an hour, starting at 415 and lowering the temperature to 385, keeping an eye on everything to make sure the vegetables didn’t burn and the chicken cooked thoroughly. The smell of the butter basting the chicken was amazing.

Just before the chicken was done, I made my crispy kale, one of my favorite ways of eating kale. I just added dry kale to a little bit of oil in a pan and cooked on high until the edges were crispy and browned.

crispy kale

kale and squash

Once the chicken and veggies were cooked, everything came together quickly. I plated chicken on top of the kale with the other vegetables as a side, and I topped it all with the reduced apple cider.

chicken with fall vegetables

With cool breezes coming through the window and the sun setting early, this dinner really hit the spot. I’m still not happy about the change of seasons, but a comforting meal and the love that goes into making it definitely makes it a little tastier.

Are you embracing fall flavors yet?

Tags: acorn squash, apple cider, chicken, dinner, Food, kale, Sunday dinner, sweet potato

Smoky Sweet Potato, Goat Cheese, and Lentil Enchilada Pie

September 12, 2012 in Food by traveleatlove | 10 comments

File this recipe under “make this weekend”. The name of the recipe is quite the mouthful isn’t it? The recipe itself is full of flavor, comfort, and nutrition. With the ridiculously cold weather we’ve been having lately, comfort is all I have been craving. Can’t I just eat grilled cheese every day?

In addition to coming up with something cozy and healthy for dinner on a chilly gray day, I also needed to utilize the delicious  tortillas sent to me earlier this summer by the great people at Tortilla Land. Tortilla Land makes fresh tortillas that are great in all sorts of recipes. I’ll admit, I may enjoy them the most heated up in a pan with a glob of Nutella in the middle, but these tortillas are definitely for more than just dessert.

cumin and paprika

I don’t know where the idea came from, but I dreamed it up when I wasn’t sleeping the other night. Insomnia usually leads to some sort of recipe for me!

It’s an easy one.

Start by chopping and boiling two large sweet potatoes. Toss those, along with a cup of crumbled goat cheese, a teaspoon of cumin, and a teaspoon of paprika into a blender and puree until smooth.

crumbled goat cheese

I absolutely love my Ninja blender. It’s not a Vitamix, but it makes purees very smooth in a very short time. You could really stop right here and eat the goat cheese and sweet potato puree. As you can see, I definitely dipped a spoon in just for quality control.

sweet potato puree

Once the sweet potato is done, add about two cups of soaked lentils to olive oil, garlic, and tomato paste, all to taste. I used a small can of tomato paste because I love the flavor and the lycopene it adds to recipes.

Tortilla Land

Heat a stack of Tortilla Land tortillas in a hot pan until puffy and lightly browned, and then layer ingredients: tortilla, sweet potato mixture, lentils, repeat. Top with enchilada sauce, bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees and serve with shredded sharp cheddar and salsa.

enchilada pie

As I said earlier, this recipe is pure comfort. The creaminess of the sweet potato really makes it so. I love making enchilada pies because the construction is so quick and easy. Fresh tortillas like the ones that Tortilla Land makes add something a little extra special.

Tags: dinner, easy dinner, enchiladas, Food, goat cheese, healthy, recipe, sweet potatoes, Vegetarian

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