2011

Appetizing Events: NYC’s Wine & Food Festival, Part I

Sanura

Janelle's tickets and catalog to New York City's Wine and Food Festival

By Janelle Carter of CorkChronicles.com and Sanura Weathers of MyLifeRunsOnFood.com

This is the first part of a series of three reviews of the 2011 Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival. Please visit part two and three for more.

The New City Wine and Food Festival (NYCWFF) held from September 29 to October 2, 2011 was a party weekend, and we–Sanura of MyLifeRunsOnFood.com and Janelle of CorkChronicles.com–covered it all from the Down Home with the Neely’s sex talk, er ummm… cooking demonstration to toasting champagne with Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos of Extra Virgin (Did you know they have a food blog, UndertheTuscanGun.com). In addition to laughing, drinking, and eating with a few of TV’s biggest food stars, we tasted some amazing dishes cooked up by New York City’s star chefs. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Wine & Food festival without the delicious wine and spirits to pair with the food and pastries. We broke our review into three parts because of various events. Part two and three are scheduled later this week. Read more →

Olives growing on a tree.

Appetizing Thoughts: Demystifying Olive Oil

Sanura

Olives growing on a tree.

We’re curious and thirsty for olive oil. Thirsty not just for using it in our favorite recipes, but learning more about it. Bill Sanders, an olive oil evangelist at Crush+Press, initially appears to have successfully reached his goal on Kickstarter to start a private label selling quality olive oil in the United States at competitive prices. However, the amount raised is based on a shoestring budget. Ideally, he needs to raise a total of $25-30k. In the following interview, Sanders demystifies olive oil and explains his quest for offering authentic olive oil at affordable prices. Read more →

Baked Yuca Fries with Sweet and Spicy Peanut Sauces

Sanura

Baked Yucca Fries with Sweet and Spicy Peanut Sauces

When the Peanut Butter & Co. first approached MyLifeRunsOnFood.com about developing recipes, my initial inspiration were cuisines from Africa, Asia, Caribbean, and Latin America. They all have a common vegetable in common: yuca. In addition, most of these cultures frequently use peanuts in their recipes. For this recipe, instead of frying yuca, I baked them instead. Then, two peanut butter dipping sauces were created. The sweeter Pineapple Peanut Butter sauce is made with “The Bee’s Knees” flavor and the spicy Tomato Peanut Butter sauce is made with “The Heat is On” flavor. Both sauces have the same basic ingredients, for their flavors complement each other well. Read more →

Truffle Oil Roast Salmon and Mushrooms

Sanura

Truffle Oil Roast Salmon and Mushrooms

At this time of year, buying salmon in New York is more expensive, because I’m striving to purchase Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified seafood. It’s a global, non-profit organization working with fisheries, seafood companies, scientists, conservation groups and the public to promote the best environmental-conscious choice in seafood. For a while, I thought buying MSC-certified seafood as expensive, but Nicole of FoodCulturist.com recommends purchasing local seafood for budget-friendly prices. Quite honestly, this recipe was made in late spring when buying salmon is cheaper. Ask your local fish monger for the best available seafood at this time of year. Their suggestion is better than seafood flown in hundreds or thousands of miles away. Read more →

Lavender Apple Bread

Sanura

Lavender Apple Bread

Inspiration for recipes not only comes from staring at the pantry, for scents are part of the culinary experience. Lavender Apple is one of my favorite shower gels at a small chain of bath shops located in New York City. It’s not a teenage bubble gum, sugary scent. The fragrance is mildly sweet and calm. The taste of this bread recipe is slightly similar to the smell of the shower gel because of the lavender flowers. However, this bread has an earthy taste.

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