Food news: Wegmans grocery store in Mt. Laurel opens a liquor store

For those of you in the Philadelphia/New Jersey area, check out the Wegmans store in Mt. Laurel.  This weekend, they opened a brand new liquor store, and the celebration was spectacular.

As someone who has lived in four major cities and moved around a lot in the last few years, I know a lot about what makes a good grocery store.  Each time I've moved, I've sought out the best grocery store in the area - since I love to cook, it's important that I find somewhere with quality ingredients and decent prices.  Wegmans has more than met that challenge for me here in Philly, and I can't say enough about how spectacular the store is.

The celebration this weekend was fun, with music and food samples throughout the store.  Their liquor store features $6 bottles of wine, and has quite a selection of wine and liquor.  I even bought a bottle of Riesling at a sample table, only to find out that the people giving the samples were actually the vineyard owners, and they signed my bottle!  It was a blast, and I'll definitely be back to the store inside Wegmans again.

Mushroom Pasta

I'm having a super-busy week, so I apologize for not posting more, but here's something I tried this week that is awesome:

Whole Wheat Rotini with Mushrooms and Cannelini Beans

(picture from cookthink)


I made this for dinner last night and it was AMAZING.  Modifications: Barilla Piccolini wheel pasta instead of whole wheat rotini (love this stuff - the wheels remind me of being a kid!), no green onions (didn't have any), no jalapeno, and diced tomato instead of the paste or the crushed tomato.  I also added some garlic powder, and didn't add any parmesan - it tasted rich and delicious, so I didn't think it needed the cheese.

This is also a great way to incorporate leftovers and random pantry items - it's very versatile!  I hope you try this soon!

Smores = Delicious

My favorite way to make smores:

(Images from Love Street, Wegmans website, and slashfood)

Last night, I made delicious smores with Love Street Living Foods chocolate coconut spread, bunny marshmallows from Easter, and graham crackers.  Absolutely yummy and gooey and highly recommended.

That is all.

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Things have been super busy, but this week I did manage to make one exciting meal - carrot cake cupcakes!  The recipe was from Alton Brown on the Food Network website, so you can head on over there for the directions.  These were DELICIOUS, and so easy to make.  I did leave out the walnuts, since I didn't have any, and I used reduced fat cream cheese (neufchatel), which didn't seem to have an adverse effect on the deliciousness of the frosting.

I even managed to pipe on these cute little carrots!  Sorry the picture is so blurry, but I forgot to take one until I was at work and only had my phone with me.

Matzo Ball Soup

Just in time for Passover :)

Matzo Ball Soup - adapted from Manischewitz

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup matzo meal
salt & pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chicken stock

For soup: 4 cups chicken stock

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and chill for 15 minutes.  Carefully form into balls and drop balls into boiling, salted water.  Cook at a simmer in covered pot for 30 minutes.  Remove matzo balls from water and place into warmed chicken stock.  Season with pepper if desired.

Yummy Lentil Chili

This recipe is really delicious, and perfect for cold nights.  The only substitute I made was to add canned diced tomatoes instead of tomato puree - it's much chunkier that way.  Definitely recommend!

Happy St Patricks Day!

I'm not remotely Irish, even if I look like it - but I've always had a spot in my heart for St. Patrick's Day.

I had an awfully Irish day, food-wise - almost everything was either Irish-inspired, or just plain green. Lunch was a spinach salad with artichokes (super green!), along with some Irish soda bread:
















The soda bread recipe was from the Food Network website. It was soft, a little sweet, and absolutely delicious. I had my piece for lunch with a honey butter, which I made just by mixing up some butter with orange blossom honey (I used Wegmans brand, but I'm sure a natural kind would be good too).

Dinner was Irish-inspired, but I didn't follow a recipe for once - I just mixed together chunks of potato, chicken sausage, and onions in apple cider vinegar with plain apple cider, then let it reduce for a bit. No pictures of dinner - I got a little carried away with tasting to make sure it was yummy, and before I knew it the food was gone!

Dessert wasn't Irish, but the apple in the mini apple crisp was green before I peeled it! The recipe is from Betty Crocker, which is how my mom always makes apple crisp.

















Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!