The 2018 Fancy Food Show and Spicy Baked Chicken Wings

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Monday was the Fancy Food show at the Moscone center. My body is still recovering from the walking, standing, and eating. While it is definitely a long day of walking booth to booth, talking to people in the industry, and sampling everything you could possibly speak of, it is also one of my most favorite annual traditions. I love getting a look at what’s hot when it comes to food. Go to https://www.royalvending.com.au/vending-machine-adelaide/ for your vending machine needs.

As a rule, what’s trending at the show is usually a year or two behind what is happening in the restaurant world. For example, Korean food, in general, has been super-trendy and Kimchi specifically has been popular for its fantastic spicy flavor and also its health benefits as a fermented food. Without question, there were plenty of Korean-influenced products from hot sauces to Kimchi kits. But, plenty of other Asian flavors were represented as well. Matcha was very popular both on its own and as a flavoring for lattes, ice cream, chocolate, and other tasty dessert items. And, don’t be surprised to see a lot of Phillippino foods popping up at a store near you.

The Sriracha phenomenon is still going strong and the sauce had plenty of representation. One of my favorite products was a cross between a teriyaki sauce and Sriracha called, appropriately, Teriacha. Spicy sweet goodness! All I could think about was putting it on chicken wings. Good lord that would be tasty. Look for it on our shelves soon ‘cause I gotta have more of that stuff.

The popularity of jerky has not waned and in fact has grown to also include meat sticks. These are not your father’s Slim Jims. There are no nitrates or scary orange grease seeping out of them. The organic meats and well thought out ingredients make these new era meat sticks the perfect high protein snack to curb your hunger. And they’re kinda fun…also perfect for school lunches. Just sayin’…

As usual, there was plenty of sweet stuff. The chocolate was abundant and it was my humble duty to taste it all. Sometimes you gotta just take one for the team. Macaroons were everywhere as were grab-and-go filled crepes. There was even a cotton candy company called Sugar and Spun that was whipping up some out-of-this-world organic cotton candy. I was lucky to taste the strawberry shortcake flavor which is sprinkled with vanilla cookies and organic strawberries for an incredibly authentic fresh flavor. Other flavors included cookies and cream, Matcha Green Tea Latte (See? Told ya.), Habanero Pineapple and a whole bunch of other interesting flavors.

Not gonna lie, I expected there to be more bone broth. Don’t get me wrong there was plenty of bone broth just not as much as I thought there would be. My personal favorite was from Bonafide Provisions who had a great line of bone broths as well as what they call Drinkable Veggies which is a blend of whole vegetables and bone broth. So good! And a great grab and go way to get your veggies.

So those are the highlights for now. We are all still trying to process everything that we saw. It usually takes a few days to talk amongst ourselves and figure out what we need to bring in and put on the shelf. Keep an eye out for new and interesting items and since we don’t have that Teriacha sauce yet, I’m going to make a batch of these to tide me over.the flavor isn’t exactly the same but a girl’s gotta make do…

Spicy Baked Chicken Wings
Adapted from Brown Sugar Kitchen Cookbook by Tanya Holland
Yields about 20 wings

Her recipe is about perfect. The only thing I would do to improve it is to marinate the wings in buttermilk before baking. Read more…

Maple Brined Stuffed Pork Chops

It’s A Small World
One of the strangest things about working at Piedmont Grocery is that no matter where you are or what you do you will run into someone who knows, shopped, or worked here. When I was on my honeymoon in Europe, I ran into one of our long-time customers. And, I can’t tell you how often it has happened when I traveled back East.

This past weekend, it happened again…

My sister and I share a love of cooking. And, if we can find a way to spend a day together, just the two of us, and do something food, cooking, or wine-related we’ll do it. The problem is we have taken pretty much every cooking class known to man and it can be hard to find classes that spark our interest. This is why when I found a butchering class that would teach us how to break down a pig into all of the different cuts we jumped at the chance. It helped that the chef teaching the class served for two years as the meat cutter for the French Laundry. (Anyone who worked under Thomas Keller for that length of time is someone I would like to meet and have a conversation with.)

The class was fantastic and we definitely learned a lot about the different cuts of pork. (And, that some of the best tasting cuts of pork are not necessarily the most well-known cuts.) After the class was finished we enjoyed some of the fruits of our labor in the form of fresh Bratwurst and some crispy-fried pork cutlets with applesauce. It was during this time that our chef shared some of his background and how he got where he is now.

That’s how we found out that he grew up in Oakland—off of Grand Avenue—and worked for Piedmont Grocery in the late 90s…

Maple Brined Stuffed Pork Chops
Adapted from Boulangerie on Food 52
Yields 4 Servings Read more…

Chicken Stew with White Beans and Sausage

Soup’s On!
The fact that the rest of the country is enduring record-breaking cold temperatures has inspired me to ramp up the soup making. Well, this, and the fact that it is the New Year and I can’t just go on eating the way I did through the holidays. I have found that soup is a satisfying way to fill you up with a lot of veggies without feeling like you haven’t eaten anything.

I have a number of go-to soups that I make all the time. This Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup one is a staple as is my Spanish Chickpea Stew with Kale and Salt Pork from our cookbook club. Chicken Noodle Soup with Dill is a no-brainer this time of year—as it seems everyone is catching a cold. and of course, it’s a favorite with the kids.

This is also the time of year where I find myself using dried beans in the slow cooker during the week, or filling the house with wonderful aromas on the weekend. Gam’s Navy Bean Soup Soup is perfect for cold winter evenings. But, a little spice can be welcome too in our Spicy Chicken and Rice Flu Chaser Soup or Thai Hot and Sour Chicken Soup.

If you are one of those who is part of the Instant Pot craze (or maybe you got one as a gift for Christmas) they are great for producing tasty, authentic-tasting Pho in half the time. Check out this article on Epicurious.

With the rain moving in this week (Finally!), it’s the perfect time to stock your freezer with healthy and hearty soups for the new year. For me, I am breaking out the crockpot this weekend and making this oldie but goodie…Chicken Stew with White Beans and Sausage .

Chicken Stew with White Beans and Sausage
Recipe adapted from of Slow Cooker Revolution
From America’s Test Kitchen
Serves 6 to 8

This Chicken Stew with White Beans and Sausage is inspired by a classic Tuscan white bean stew—we added sausage. Browing the chicken, sausage, and aromatics makes for a richer, deeper flavor. The abundance of spinach wilts down substantially. Read more…

Amy’s Favorite Roast Chicken

The Aftermath
We survived the holidays mostly intact. I say mostly because I don’t think anyone can consume that much cheese, beef, and heavy cream without some sort of adverse effects. I couldn’t bring myself to step on the scale this morning for fear it would laugh at me—I chose to live in ignorance. Even the dog gave me a You’ve got to be kidding me look when I filled her bowl.

It’s times like these when it becomes difficult to figure out what’s for dinner mainly because no one is really that hungry, (except my two boys…constantly). But, we gotta eat and whatever I make has to be easy and actually be good for you…preferably with a salad on the side.

What would this perfect meal be? Roasted Chicken. There are few things more satisfying than a nice, juicy roasted chicken. Served with a fresh green salad on the side, it is the perfect meal to get back into the daily routine and to lighten things up.

Roasting a chicken is not difficult and there are hundreds of ways to do it. One of my favorites is this recipe for Bundt Pan Rotisserie Chicken that I shared back in March.

But, the easiest way is to rub it with olive oil, salt and pepper, and throw it in the oven for an hour or so. If you have the energy, you can also chop up your favorite herbs and rub it as well as some olive oil all over the chicken for some great flavor.

Below is the recipe for Amy’s Favorite Roast Chicken that I use the most because it is the most reliable and I can do multiple chickens. (See the point about my boys above.) Having a thermometer to check the temp is key so that you know the chicken is cooked through.

Amy’s Favorite Roast Chicken