Visions of Gingerbread @ The Stamford Museum Kids Bites Education Events kids activity Kid Friendly Stephanie Webster October 25, 2010 CTbites is proud to be this year's media sponsor for the 2nd annual "Visions of Gingerbread: The Sweetest Architects" exhibit at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center. Opening November 6th, this show will feature unique and amazing gingerbread creations by many of your favorite bakers. Check out the lineup: CakeSuite, Sugar & Olives, DiMare's Pasty Shop, SoNo Baking Company, Karin Krumpelbeck, and (are you sitting down?) CTbites will be working on an entry. (If you are a baker and want to help team CTbites, contact us!) Here's the best part...You can bring one of these incredible edibles home to your family. These sweet structures will be put up on the silent auction block, with proceeds going to the Museum's educational programs. Read More
Ghoulishly Delicious Wines to Drink this Fall Ingredients Holiday Wine Chat JoAnn LoGiurato October 25, 2010 It’s autumn, the leaves are turning crimson and sienna, and there’s a chill in the air. This is the time of year that I look forward to making stews, comfort foods and slow-cooked meals. It’s also my favorite weather for cracking open some hearty, full-bodied wines. I love to curl up next to the fireplace with a good book, a bowl of chili and a fantastic glass of wine. With Halloween (one of my favorite days of the year) just around the corner, I’ve made some suggestions for wines to drink this fall and perhaps while you’re handing out candy to the trick-or-treaters. After all, the kids can’t have all the fun!! Ghoulishly Delicious Wines Sokol Blosser Evolution A fantastic aromatic white wine made from 9 different grapes, this is like the “kitchen-sink” of blended wine, and, is oh so tasty! The wine expresses a creamy, yet lively palate of pear, spice and dried fruit. Read More
Great Programs for Kids & Adults @ Ambler Farm Ingredients Kids Bites Events Holiday Local Farm kids activity Kid Friendly Stephanie Webster October 22, 2010 Don't miss these spooky, educational, & tasty activities @ Ambler Farm. Fright Night: Friday, October 29 & Saturday, October 30 Drop off the kids (grades 3-5) for haunted activities and frightful (and not so frightful) storytelling. Those who were present last year are still talking about the ghost dog who frequents the Farm! Creepy sights and mysterious sounds abound when the moon rises at Ambler Farm. Refreshments included. Enrollment limited. Haunted Halloween Ride, Guessing jar to win the Farm's largest pumpkin, Games, if you dare play... Launch the Trebuchet: Sunday, November 14 If you've been to Ambler Farm Day, you've probably fired the apple slingshots, taken a hay-ride or two, and witnessed pumpkins flying through the air. If the pumpkin-launching trebuchet has intrigued you, now's your chance to get a closer look at this medieval-inspired machine. Read More
Sweet Stuff: Halloween Candy Bark Kids Bites Features Holiday kids activity Recipe Kid Friendly Dessert Nicole Straight October 21, 2010 My girlfriend and I were thumbing through our monthly cooking mags and we both noticed the cover picture of a very decadent looking Halloween themed candy bark. I thought, “ this looks like fun, but I can do better than that!” So off I went to our local grocery store that is stocked with bins of interesting looking sweets and nuts. 10 mini bags later, here’s what I came up with! Alas, it's not healthy, but Halloween only comes once a year, and it's a great activity for a kids Halloween party. The making is (almost) the best part of this recipe! Halloween Candy Bark for Kids Read More
Sport Hill Farm: Caring for the Land & the Community Ingredients Kids Bites Easton Local Artisan Local Farm Organic Farm Fresh Jessica Ryan October 21, 2010 Sustainable, seasonal, local, organic, and green might be popular phrases these days among the media and the masses, but to those who truly care about where their food comes from, whether they contain pesticides and want to support their communities, these are very powerful words indeed. By buying locally, seasonally and organically, the consumer never has to worry about food recalls. More importantly, the consumers know not only where their food comes from, but get to know their farmers by name. These are the people who also truly care about the future of their children and of children for generations to come… These are the people who truly care about preserving the world around them. Patti Popp of Sport Hill Farm is just this type of person. Read More
SoNo Chef Shoot-Out Crowns a Winner Ingredients Events Amy Kundrat October 15, 2010 “The secret ingredient is ... ROOT VEGETABLE!” And with that, the first ever iron chef-style competition was kicked off at the Clarke Culinary Center in South Norwalk. The event pitted two of the neighborhood’s most well known chefs, Fritz Knipschildt of Cafe Chocopologie and Knipschildt Chocolatier against Matt Storch, chef and partner at Match who have collectively been serving up some of South Norwalk’s best meals for over 22 years. This event was an unforgettable evening of inventive food, chef personalities and culinary surprises that will stand as one of my favorite food moments this year. Read More
Advertisement: Tasti D-Lite Is Coming to Fairfield! Kids Bites Restaurant Fairfield Kid Friendly Dessert Stephanie Webster October 14, 2010 Good news for Tasti D-Lite fans. Made with natural ingredients, this lower calorie frozen dessert treat is opening its doors in Fairfield CT on October 20th at 1201 King Highway in Fairfield's Staples Plaza. Tasti D Lite has long had a cult following among health-conscious consumers as well as celebrities who line up to enjoy their guilt-free confections. Now Fairfield can enjoy the pleasure of Tasti without the commute, and CTbites readers get a FREE topping during the month of October! The Fairfield store will have nine tables, comfortable couches, and Wi-Fi access. Pair this with 100+ creamy delicious flavors (most of which are gluten free), including Toasted Coconut, Caramel Apple, and Mud Pie…why would you ever leave? Read More
Ninety+Cellars: Premium Wine for Less Ingredients Features Wine Chat Deanna Foster October 12, 2010 Most of us like name brand products - especially when it comes to food. How often do we drive to different grocery stores to buy our favorite coffee or coveted snack item? Occasionally, I’m tempted to buy a store brand or private label option, attracted by the value and the hope it will taste as good as the name brand I trust, but past disappointments make me skeptical, and more often than not, I move on to the usual suspects to fill my market basket. I admit, my brand loyalties run deep, so I was particularly skeptical when CTbites decided to review 4 bottles of a new discount wine, branded under the label Ninety+Cellars. Yes, images of another Two Buck Chuck sprang to mind, but after our tasting and some research, I am convinced that the Ninety+Cellars is a distinctive label in its own right and it is now available in CT. Read More
RAUS: Coffee for Humanity Ingredients Coffee Tea And Coffee Jessica Ryan October 08, 2010 I was greeted by Donny Raus of RAUS Coffee at his home in Stamford, CT with a freshly brewed (French Press) cup of coffee waiting for me. This coffee, roasted in his own roaster, was so good it needed neither milk nor sugar. (I usually take both.) As I sipped my hot, smooth and bold cup of coffee I learned about the young man, his passion, and I scored some great tips for getting the best possible cup of coffee in your house (Check out Coffee 101 Tips below). Read More
Skillet Eggs & Potatoes from "The Parsley Thief" Kids Bites Features Recipe Breakfast Kid Friendly katie vitucci October 07, 2010 Katie Vitucci is a Norwalk resident and the Founder of The Parsley Thief, a blog about food and family. When I was a child, my grandmother's fried potatoes were one of my most favorite things in the world. She cooked them in a cast iron skillet, with nothing else but some oil, until they were perfectly crisped. Then, she would fry an egg on top. Whenever I wasn't feeling well, this is what she would make me...the ultimate comfort food. I recently made some for my kids. They are not potato fans...but, they do like french fries & these are so crispy, they don't taste like typical home fries, which sometimes have a mushy texture. They taste like french fries. They loved them!! So, this has become one of our "Breakfast for Dinner" options. This dish can be modified to suit your taste. Add some garlic, onion, bell or hot peppers...anything. I highly recommend using a cast iron skillet, as it does such a great job of browning the potatoes. Skillet Eggs & Potatoes Read More
This Week In Wine: Dierberg Chardonnay Ingredients Features This Week In Wine Kathleen Hall October 06, 2010 The Dierberg winery is located in the Santa Maria Valley, the northern-most wine appellation in Santa Barbara County in Central California. The Valley tends to be cool and foggy with breezes from the nearby Pacific Ocean, resulting in a gentle ripening of the grapes. Fermenting the wine in larger oak barrels – as opposed to smaller oak barriques -- enables the wood flavors to become well-integrated without becoming heavy-handed. Dierberg Chardonnay is a perfect example of the shift in California winemaking towards a more restrained use of oak in Chardonnay. Flavors of golden pear, lemon custard, vanilla and warm spices. Read More
Pinkberry Grand Opening Party Kids Bites Restaurant Events Fairfield Kid Friendly Dessert Stephanie Webster October 06, 2010
Seasonal Beer Picks with Mitch Ancona Ingredients Restaurant Beer Amy Kundrat October 05, 2010 Each fall the world of beer appears to come down with a serious case of seasonal allergies. I’m referring to the abundance of autumnal ales vying for more and more cooler space in our local package stores. While I’m digging around fall seasonals, it would be downright insensitive of me to ignore the popular kid of the seasonal beer world, pumpkin ales which seem to multiply exponentially each year. Rather than allow my novice palate lead us through the promised land of malted grain, I visited Mitch Ancona of Ancona’s Wines & Liquors in Ridgefield to guide me on this year’s best seasonal beer offerings. His walk-in beer cooler is one of the best kept secrets for beer lovers. Read More
Bobby Flay Is Coming To Stew's Ingredients Features Cookbooks Events Stephanie Webster October 04, 2010 ARE YOU READY FOR A THROWDOWN? Meet bestselling author and Food Network royalty, Bobby Flay, at Stew Leonard's on Saturday, October 30 at 11:00 a.m. WHAT: Bobby Flay, bestselling author and Food Network star, will greet fans and sign his brand new cookbook, BOBBY FLAY’S THROWDOWN! More Than 100 Recipes from Food Network’s Ultimate Cooking Challenge at Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk Saturday, October 30 starting at 11:00 a.m. Twenty lucky fans will win a reserved place at the front of the line to have their book signed. Fans can submit their entries online or the ballot box at any of the Stew Leonard’s stores in Norwalk, Danbury, Yonkers, and Newington. Read More
Great Gear: Navigating The Cook’s Nook Ingredients Features Kitchen Gear Norwalk Specialty Market Deanna Foster October 01, 2010 The Cook’s Nook in Norwalk couldn’t be more aptly named. Twisting through its adjoining rooms, filled to capacity, brings you from one alcove and surprising find to another. As you step into the door, you are faced with a navigation decision: the room straight ahead or to the right? It’s not the last time you’re made to choose, but take heart, there are no bad choices here. Like being lost in the streets of Paris, winding your way from one enchanting street to the next, your shopping experience is more adventure than errand. Read More
Ambler Farm Day Is This Weekend!! Kids Bites Events Local Farm kids activity Kid Friendly Stephanie Webster September 29, 2010
Judging The Iron Chef @ The Blues & BBQ Festival Ingredients Restaurant BBQ Events Kid Friendly Sarah Green September 28, 2010 So it turns out that the formation of the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) started as a big joke by Carolyn and Gary Wells and Rick Welch (a.k.a Sir Loin) one fine evening in 1985. They put together a bar-b-que newsletter, called it the "Bull Sheet," and an organization of of fanatical bbq aficionados was formed. Membership at official formation = 12. Since then, the membership numbers have exploded (300,000 at last count) and the light-hearted, half-joking nature of the society has taken a serious turn for the...well...serious! Part of the KCBS's Judges' oath states that each judge shall accept his/her duty to judge objectively and subjectively so that "truth, justice, excellence in Barbeque and the preservation of the American way of life..." may be strengthened and preserved forever. Wow. I think that may be more moving for people than the swearing in of the Commander in Chief. (Commander in Chef, perhaps?) All I can say is this, there was NO joking around during the Iron Chef competition at the Blues, Views, and BBQ's Festival at the Levitt Pavilion in Westport Read More
CTbites Shout Out: What's Your Favorite Cookbook? Ingredients Features CTbites Shout Out Stephanie Webster September 26, 2010
School Lunch Makeover: From Farm To Fork Kids Bites Education Fairfield Local Farm Recipe Jessica Ryan September 22, 2010 I walked into the Unquowa School kitchen this morning to talk to Chef Peter Gorman and Chef-in-Residence Lauren Issaeff, as they were busily making 80 gallons of heirloom tomato sauce to be served to the children, faculty and staff over the course of the school year. Peter and Lauren had their hands full with the seeds, pulp and juices from the various colored heirloom tomatoes that had been freshly picked from Sport Hill Farm, up the road in Easton. On top of the stove, garlic, (also from Sport Hill Farm), simmered in olive oil, and a large bundle of basil, from Gilbertie’s Farm, sat patiently waiting to be tossed in. I was overcome by the wonderful aromas swirling around the kitchen. It was just 9:00 a.m., but how I wished it was lunchtime! This is not an atypical scene in this private school’s kitchen. Read More
This Week In Wine: Jelu Pinot Noir Ingredients Features This Week In Wine Kathleen Hall September 22, 2010 Jelu Pinot Noir is from the Patagonia region in Argentina. Patagonia may be better known for its majestic mountain range than for wine growing, but the cool climate found here is especially suited to the fickle Pinot Noir grape. The Jelu vineyards are located at high elevation which enables the grapes grown there to retain their bright acidity and supple fruit flavors as they slowly ripen. Medium-bodied with flavors of black cherry, ripe raspberry and a hint of savory herb. Smooth tannins and fresh acidity makes this wine simple but satisfying Read More
