Sticky Balsamic Ribs via The Parsley Thief Features Entertaining Recipe katie vitucci May 26, 2012 Looking for a great recipe for your Memorial Day BBQ? No joke, these are the best ribs ever! After asking my husband what he thought of them, he swallowed his bite & replied, "This may be the best thing I've had in my entire life". But, this is coming from a man who loves him some ribs...anyway, anyhow. Like all good ribs, these require time, but very little effort. Once they are done marinating & slow cooking in the oven, the grilling part takes about 5 minutes. The perfect thing when you are having company & don't want to be in the kitchen when your guests are there. This recipe will be a summer regular for us. Read More
Kids Review: Cadiz Tapas in Bethel Kids Bites Restaurant Bethel Gluten-Free Spanish Special Dietary Needs Kid Friendly CTbites Team May 23, 2012 Most of the time at restaurants, I have no idea what to order because there are so many great choices. At Cadiz, however I can choose many different dishes. I can even order ten and share with friends and family. Cadiz is a place where you order several tapas and share among the group. Don’t be fooled though. It is located in the Bethel movie theater but that doesn’t mean it's cheap diner food. Plus, there are some great gluten-free options. My family started out with a basket of bread, a small plate of hummus with baked pita chips, and a bowl of Greek olives. The bread had a crunchy and flaky crust with a soft and warm inside. It tasted amazing; a great way to kick off the meal. Read More
The Naptime Chef: Local Chef Fits Great Food into Family Life Features Cookbooks Recipe Kid Friendly Jessica Ryan May 09, 2012 When Kelsey Banfield became a mother she quickly learned that organization was necessary to successfully run a household. Babies are unpredictable in their needs and they can easily wreak havoc on the day’s plans. A fussy baby needs tending to. Clutter piles up, as does laundry as well as those lists of things we need to accomplish. Many of us have been there and our babies are much older. While we can better organize our days, we’re still incredibly busy and there never does seem to be enough time in our day. So while Kelsey utilizes her daughter’s naptime to get things done, those of us without napping children can carve out some time during the day where we can do the same, whether it be morning, afternoon or evening. Whether we have newborns, active toddlers or busy teenagers with heavy schedules, Kelsey’s approach to fitting great food into our lives is one that can be adapted by us all, and you can share her secrets in her new cookbook, "The Naptime Chef, Fitting Great Food into Family Life." Read More
Sweet & Simple® Cookies...Baked Locally, With Love Features Restaurant Local Artisan Fairfield Kid Friendly Dessert Margie Treisman May 03, 2012 Cookies are, by definition, hard to resist. Fairfield resident Michelle Jaffee has made resistance even more difficult with her new line of cookies, Sweet & Simple, adorable in their individual cellophane wrappers, brown and white labels and retro daisy logo. What’s more, the label proclaims, they’re “baked with love.” We at CTBites like to support the local, entrepreneurial spirit. (Plus – let’s face it -- we don’t hate eating cookies.) So we set out to sample the sweets. Read More
First Annual Wakeman Town Farm Chicken Coop Tour Kids Bites Education Local Artisan Local Farm CTbites Team April 27, 2012 Wakeman Town Farm is giving local backyard chicken fans something to cluck about! Announcing the First Annual Wakeman Town Farm Chicken Coop Tour, in which local chicken coop owners in Westport and lower Weston will open their unique henhouses to the public. Wakeman Town Farm threw down the gauntlet to local chicken-keeping aficionados. We asked: Who wants bragging rights for building the Hautest Henhouse...the Cadillac of Chicken Shacks...the Coop De Ville? The result is Wakeman Town Farm's First Annual Chicken Coop Tour, Saturday, May 5 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., a fun-filled afternoon touring approximately 15 chicken coops in Westport and Weston and enjoying a casual After-Tour Sundae back at the farm, with ice cream generously provided by The Farmer's Cow! Read More
Foodie Fridays @ Sport Hill Farm in Easton Features Cooking Classes Easton Education Farm Fresh CTbites Team April 25, 2012
MOM 100 Cookbook Author @ Westport Public Library Features Author Cookbooks Education Kid Friendly CTbites Team April 18, 2012 Katie Workman, author of the new hit cookbook The Mom 100 Cookbook is coming to the Westport Public Library on Thursday, May 10 at 10:00 a.m. Katie Workman is the founding editor in chief of Cookstr.com and a mother of two. In The Mom 100 Cookbook she delivers solutions to the 20 most common cooking dilemmas that every modern mom faces, providing recipes and tips for parents who are so baffled by their kids’ food preferences that mealtime has become a minefield. Katie Workman will talk about her new cookbook The Mom 100 Cookbook, answer questions from the audience, and give a book signing. Ok mothers...here's what people are saying about this new compendium: “One of the best cookbook authors of her generation.” — BOBBY FLAY “These are the 100 recipes everyone needs!” — INA GARTEN Read More
Video: Napa's Chef Arik Bensimon Demos Roasted Sea Bass w/ Polenta & Mushrooms Features Chef Talk Entertaining Recipe Video Seafood Recipe CTbites Team April 12, 2012
Lamb Bacon with Chef Paul Desiano Features Ridgefield Recipe Amy Kundrat April 04, 2012 A fixture in Ridgefield's marketplace, Cello Restaurant seems to be in a perpetual state of experimentation. The last dining experience I had there was at an East meets West Sake dinner (Paul is Italian and his wife is Japanese) where their mult-course menu blended their native cuisines, pairing them with wine and sake. Running into Paul at The Marketplace (a group of artisan gourmet food and craft shops) in Ridgefield one afternoon, the conversation turned to his latest passion for the interesting cuts of meat he is procuring from Craft Butchery in Saugatuck. Although I was intrigued to share a 36-hour Confit of [Pork] Jowel, it seemed a bit ambitious for the majority of home cooks who may not yet have sprung for a sous vide supreme. So we settled on sharing his recipe for lamb bacon. Paul pairs this to the jowl dish which is served with a rosemary parsnip puree and braised red cabbage. Chef Paul Desiano's Lamb Bacon Recipe Read More
AMG Cooking School in Wilton: Learn While You Eat Features Cooking Classes Education Wilton kids cooking party Recipe ellen bowen March 23, 2012 It must have been good karma to take over the former Wave Hill bread kitchen in Wilton, because the AMG Cooking School, which opened it’s doors in July, has truly found the right ingredients for success. Alison Milwe-Grace and her partner, Olivia Savarese, are not new to cooking having run a catering and event planning business for years. When the professional kitchen space at the old Wave Hill Breads came on the market, they saw an opportunity and jumped at the chance to open a cooking school. They have been hosting both adult and kids classes ever since. The good friends added their own personal touch to the space. Gone are the wooden bread racks and flour dusted floors. A cozy candlelit living room and dining area serves as the entrance, while the kitchen features a huge work area complete with famous chef quotes on chalkboards to serve as inspiration. Read More
Video: Chef Matt Storch Demos Pomegranate Braised Short Ribs w Pea Puree Features Chef Talk Entertaining Recipe Video Recipe Stephanie Webster March 22, 2012 Live from CTbites global headquarters, Chef Matt Storch of Match Restaurant launches the CTbites Chef Demo Video series. Watch and learn people. Matt Storch's recipe for Pomegranate-Orange Braised Boneless Beef Short Ribs With Pea Puree takes a classic winter dish and re-imagines it for spring with vibrant fresh peas. Get great tips as you watch Chef Storch review the basics of braising in this beautiful dish. If you have a chef or recipe you would like to see on CTbites, let us know. Read More
HUGE WUSTHOF Inventory Sale in Norwalk Features Kitchen Gear Chris Grimm March 14, 2012 For cooks and home cooks looking for great deals on fine cutlery, the Wüsthof Outlet in Norwalk is having their bi-annual inventory sale, from Thursday, March 22 to Saturday March 24. You’ll find knives, knife sets, and accessories. At last Fall’s sale, I fell for the Culinar line of stainless steel handled knives – basically forged from a single piece of steel – as beautiful as they are high-quality. Be careful while checking things out. Despite a dozen signs warning customers to be careful amongst the hundreds of sharp knives, I, of course, speared myself and had to deftly pay with a single hand while keeping a sliced finger in my pocket, rather than bringing embarrassment upon myself, in the store. Selection was great in the Fall (if you’ve never been to the outlet, it’s worth a stop under any circumstance). Regular discounts on the store models, overstocks, and discontinued models are 40% to 70% - with an extra 20% for the sale. Read More
Giada De Laurentiis Signing Books at Stew Leonard’s Features Cookbooks Norwalk CTbites Team March 06, 2012 Giada De Laurentiis, famed Italian chef, New York Times bestselling author and Food Network star, will greet fans and sign 1,000 copies of her brand new cookbook WEEKNIGHTS WITH GIADA: Quick and Simple Recipes to Revamp Dinner (Clarkson Potter; on sale March 27, 2012) at Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk on Wednesday, March 28 starting at 5:00 p.m. Providing an intimate sneak peek into Giada’s day-to-day family life with husband Todd and daughter Jade, and chock-full of gorgeous color photographs, WEEKNIGHTS WITH GIADA will be a new favorite for longtime fans—and a new kind of handbook for home cooks everywhere. Stew Leonard’s is offering the cookbook at a special book signing price of $29.99 or two for $50.00. Please note that customers are asked to purchase at least one copy of WEEKNIGHTS WITH GIADA at Stew Leonard’s in order to get in line for the book signing. RAFFLE: Ten lucky fans will win a free copy of WEEKNIGHTS WITH GIADA and a reserved place at the front of the line to have their book signed. Read More
Short Rib Ragu via The Parsley Thief Features Entertaining Recipe Comfort Food katie vitucci March 02, 2012 It's been a long time since I've made a winter stew type of meal...the sort of thing that takes all day to cook & permeates your house with the smell of something good cooking. This past Sunday seemed like the perfect day to make a little Short Rib Ragu, and I'm so glad I did. I served it the same day & it came out great. Although, I would imagine it would be even better made ahead. I couldn't resist making some creamy polenta to go with it but it would be delicious served with egg noodles, or some buttery mashed potatoes. Read More
Nothin' But Bars: Best Granola Bar in CT? Ingredients Features Brunch healthy Breakfast Kid Friendly Dessert Christy Colasurdo January 26, 2012 In a world all about “grab and go,” I was happy to stumble upon “Nothin' But” snack bars after a spinning class at Joy Ride in Westport recently. That same week, we spotted them at the Westport Farmers’ market and the Village Market in Wilton. Seems that the chewy little bars, packed with ‘nothin’ but’ organic oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruits and hand-mixed with organic cane sugar, olive oil and honey have found a cult following in Fairfield County. Not only are these the tastiest and most nutritionally dense snack bars we’ve tried (not too dry, not too sweet, loaded with fruits, nuts and all-natural ingredients), they’re also packaged in re-sealable Ziploc bags so that you can eat half in the morning and save the other half for a midday pick-me-up (if you have the willpower). Read More
"Sweet Genius" Contestant, Paula Shoyer, Baking in Westport via "Kosher Like Me" Features Cookbooks Events Special Dietary Needs Liz Rueven January 19, 2012 photo courtesy of FOOD NETWORK Did you miss Paula Shoyer, author of THE KOSHER BAKER, on the Food Network’s new baking competition “Sweet Genius”? If so, you can catch her in Westport on Wednesday, January 25 when she will be offering a baking demonstration and scrumptious tasting at Chabad of Westport. Shoyer performed magnificently on “Sweet Genius.”.She was poised, cool and creative in that episode in October 2011. Along with other contestants, she was given unexpected, last minute challenges like being asked to integrate jelly beans and hot sauce into her recipe already in the works. Her rosemary lemon sponge cake with raspberry mint sorbet between the layers was not the version she had planned on when she started! Read More
Kids Review: The Melting Pot Kids Bites Darien Lunch Kid Friendly Lily Schaeffer January 13, 2012 Lily Schaeffer is one of our junior reporters. She in the sixth grade and lives in Darien. How many times have you wished you could try something new and different for dinner but you didn’t know where to go or what to get? The solution is fondue! You can get freshly grated and melted cheese fondue or rich delectable chocolate fondue for dessert at a restaurant right in Darien, The Melting Pot is located at 14 Grove Street. At The Melting Pot, you will arrive to a beautiful flowing fountain right outside the door and enter the restaurant to find a welcoming modern atmosphere perfect for a chilly fall night. The friendly staff will greet you and fill you in on the menu options (we chose lightly spiced cheddar fondue). Another exciting feature is after you have ordered, your food will be thrillingly made right before you eyes at your table. You can sit back and dip delectable tidbits in strategically made melted cheese. Did I mention the dippable items come in a bottomless supply? Read More
Bombay Chile & Cilantro Chicken via Jeanette's Healthy Living Features Recipe CTbites Team January 06, 2012 Lately, I’ve been craving the warm spices of Indian food, and so this week, my kids were treated to a new chicken dish – Bombay Chile and Cilantro Chicken, marinated with lots of warm spices, including coriander, black pepper, cumin, and cayenne. This is definitely a dish that can be started early in the day or the night before, then thrown on the grill or broiled just before dinnertime. I marinated the chicken in the morning, cooked everything before I headed out the door to pick my son up from school, and just reheated it as soon as we walked in the door an hour later. Served with a bright Cilantro Sauce, this is a unique, flavorful chicken dish that I will be making again. To go with this spicy chicken dish, I made some Indian Lemon Rice using brown rice, and Spinach Thoran (I had picked up some leafy green vegetables from the local Indian supermarket that were labeled “phoi leaves”, that looked like New Zealand Spinach). Read More
Glazed Buttermilk Meatloaf via The Parsley Thief Features Recipe katie vitucci December 30, 2011 This past summer I was engrossed in a reality cooking competition on the Food Network called The Next Food Network Star. I haven't seen every season of the show, but typically once I begin watching I get sucked in up until a winner is declared. Anyway - a few weeks before this past season began, a friend of mine from high school contacted me to let me know a fellow graduate from our school would be competing in the upcoming season. Her name is Mary Beth Albright. Of course I wanted her to win - not just because we share the same hometown, but because after watching the season I was easily convinced she would indeed make a great food television show host. While the show was airing, Mary Beth would simultaneously post her personal take on the developments of each week's episode on her blog - occasionally also posting one of her recipes from the competition. The recipe of Mary Beth's that sparked my interest most was for this meatloaf. I think what sets this recipe apart from the rest is the use of panko breadcrumbs and buttermilk {full fat, if you can find it!}. Read More
Latkes Recipe c/o Tabouli Grill's Chef Judy Roll Features Holiday Recipe Judy Roll December 19, 2011 Making latkes is a potentially messy undertaking but there is nothing better than a home made latke. I like to make and freeze so I don't greet my guests feeling like I just stepped out of a vat of oil. Of course, you can just fantasize about making them and let us (Tabouli Grill) make them for you instead. $22/dozen through Chanukah. Judy Roll's Latkes Recipe Read More
