Shop and Nosh at the Cafe at Middlebury Consignment

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Cooking Class at the Cafe at Middlebury Consignment

If you follow my blog even semi-regularly, 

you know there are two things that I absolutely love to do 

SHOP and NOSH!

And now I've found a way to roll my two very favorite things to do into ONE, by taking part in a cooking class held at The Cafe at Middlebury Consignment! When an invite rolled into my inbox to visit the Middlebury Consignment Store, needless to say, I was thrilled!

I was familiar with the store through some television advertisements, and several friends have visited on a "destination day' to shop Middlebury, but until now, I've never had the opportunity to visit Middlebury Consignment for myself.

Opening in 2009, Middlebury Consignment is a one stop shopping store for all your home design needs. Not your typical 'consignment' store - Middlebury Consignment mixes a bit of  upscale consignment pieces with new design furniture and fixtures.

I spotted pieces from Lillian August, Howard Miller, Barkman, and more! The original store has since expanded to three buildings, the second two dubbed "the annex" located a few miles down the road. In addition, full design and decorating services are offered, as well as culinary accessories, tools, and utensils.

But on this visit we primarily spent time in the kitchen of the Cafe at Middlebury Consignment, taking part in one of their popular cooking classes. This particular class featured the preparation of appetizers, but they offer a wide and varied range of classes! A quick glance at their cooking class events lists dates that feature Cowboys and Campfires (Aug 6. 2017) Trip to Morocco (Aug 16, 2017) A Tuscan Grigliata (Aug 27, 2017)  End of Summer Tapas Party (Aug 30, 2017) Provence Inspired Steakhouse (Sept 7, 2017) and many, many more in the months to come.

Check out their event calendar at https://www.middleburyconsignment.com/cooking-events/

We started with a nice glass of wine and some cheese and crackers. Our cooking group consisted of a wide range of Connecticut social influencers invited to experience the fun of an 'appetizer' based cooking class led by The Cafe's own Chef Mary Kravec.

In attendance were Natalie from New England Foodie,  Brittny from Basic Britny, Hannah from Sometimes Social, Amanda from the Amanda Bella, Christine from Vigora and Vogue, Nonee from Nonee's World, and Yinka from Yours Truly Yinka and Linked Media.  (If I missed anyone - let me know and I'll link back to you too!)

Visit them all in the days to come for their details of this fun event!

Chef Mary instructs her cooking enthusiasts!

We jumped right in and donned our aprons and Chef Mary would rotate around the kitchen island recruiting the nearest participant to prep that particular portion of the meal. By the end of the cooking class everyone had some "hands on" experience and she included lots of great tips for food prep like how to use a spoon to peel ginger, blanching the broccoli rabe with salty water to draw out the bitterness and retain the crisp green color, and so many more!

Here are some photos of our food preparation:

Here I am --
so intent on stuffing those artichokes
Photo Courtesy of Linked Media

Voila! Stuffed Artichokes -
Ready to pop in the oven!

Amanda works on the flatbread dough!

Nonee works on the rosemary kebobs

Marinating the Balsamic Wings

While everything cooked up in the oven 

we had a wonderful tour of the store!

Yassss!

I'm definitely making a return trip just to shop!

When we finished touring the multiple floors of furniture and home decor we returned to feast on the fruits of our labor!

We made this!

My plate full of goodness!

Broccoli Rabe

Stuffed Artichokes

Roasted Grape Flatbread with Ricotta 

Balsamic Wings

Polenta Squares

Blueberry Lavender Crème Brûlée

I think I can speak for everyone and say we ALL thought the cooking class was a wonderful experience! We each felt like we had a part in the preparation and we certainly walked away with some great tips! I've already replicated the roasted grapes into a chicken dish I prepared this weekend with the same great results. DELICIOUS!

If you haven't already, visit Middlebury Consignment and treat yourself to one of their upcoming cooking classes!  You'll be glad you did!

Middlebury Consignment
The Cafe at Middlebury Consignment

1365 Whittemore Road
Middlebury, CT 06762
Phone (203) 528-0130
https://www.middleburyconsignment.com/

Store hours:
Monday through Saturday 11AM - 5PM
Sunday 11AM - 5PM

Disclaimer: I was invited to tour the store and take part in the cooking class by members of Middlebury Consignment's management and marketing team, however, all views expressed are my own.

Macy's Sizzle Showdown Semi-Finals for The Grilling Guru

This post is sponsored by the Everywhere Society

On Saturday, June 7th 2014, I traveled up the CT I-91 corridor to Holyoke Massachusetts to attend the Sizzle Showdown Semi-finals for Macy's Great American Grilling Guru 2014.  Contestants from around the country submitted their best grill recipes for a chance to be considered in the semi-final showdown held in select Macy's across the nation. Contestants in each region were judged by member's of Macy's Celebrity Chef Culinary Council. (Note: A giveaway booklet of the recipes submitted is at the end of this post.)

Contestants (L-R) Erin Evenson, Sarah Malikowski, Irma Ferretti
(L) MC Billy Costa of KISS 108 FM in Boston (R) Culinary Council Chef Nancy Silverton

While these three grilling gurus were competing in Holyoke, MA, similar contests were going on in Leawood, KS,  Lynnwood, WA, Charlotte, NC, Pittsburgh, PA, Skokie, IL, and the winner from each region will be eligible to compete in the grand finale held at Macy’s Herald Square in New York, NY!

Before we move on to the contest - I have to say I was completely blown away by the fact that Macy's Holyoke combined this event with the Macy's Country Fair-Featuring Great American Fun and Food! It was a mini state fair, right there in the Macy's parking lot. There are always great events going on at Macy's! Check the events list on the Macy's web page near you for upcoming specials!

Macy's Country Fair - Featuring Great American Fun and Food

At about 2:30pm the showdown began, with each contestant given an hour on the clock to create their dish.
During the cooking time, Host Billy Costa of Boston's KISS 108 FM and Judge, Celebrity Chef, Restauranteer, and Cookbook Author Nancy Silverton entertained the audience with Macy's Trivia Contests, samples from Nancy's new cookbook Mozza, and foodie tips and chatter!

Radicchio marinated in balsamic vinegar and grilled with pancetta
From Chef Nancy's Mozza Cookbook

Nancy also gave us her tips for grilling the tastiest burgers. First and foremost, to use ground chuck. And I have to say, that the burger that I sampled using Nancy's recipe and her amazing spicy chipolte mayo was INCREDIBLE.

Nancy's Burgers with Chipolte Mayo, Applewood smoked bacon, and avocado

On to the Sizzle Showdown Semi-Finals

Meet Contestant #1, Sarah Malikowski from Hampden Maine who prepared a Grilled Chicken Stuffed with Herb Goat Cheese and Prosciutto. I had the opportunity to chat with Sarah briefly before the clock began and learned that she competed last year in the prestigious Pillsbury Bake Off!

Sarah Malikowski, Hampden ME
Grilled Chicken Stuffed with Herb goat Cheese and Prosciutto

Meet Contestant #2, Erin Everson from Brookly, New York, who prepared Spicy Grilled Squid and Shrimp Salad with Charred Tomatoes, Crispy Watercress and Caahews. During the competition we learned that grilling is difficult to practice for this Brookly NY native - it's not allowed in Erin's neighborhood.

Erin Everson, Brooklyn NY
Spicy Grilled Squid and Shrimp Salad

Now meet Contestant #3, the adorable Irma Ferretti, who hails from Ossining, New York, but originates from Ecuador. Irma brought the game to a whole new level by entering a dessert of Grilled Bourbon Glazed Peaches. I can tell you that the sauce smelled heavenly as she prepared it and the glazed peaches grilled? So innovative!

Irma Fennetti, Ossining, New York
Grilled Bourbon Glazed Peaches

Our Sizzle Showdown Judge Nancy sure had her work cut out for her - and as she sampled each dish she critiqued the contestant.

However, in the end, there can be only one winner, and that contestant is....(drum roll please)

Sarah Malikowski's -- Grilled Stuffed Chicken!

Congratulations Sarah!

 But, at Macy's everyone is a winner, and the runner-up contestants went home with a Macy's Gift Card!

Macy's Sizzle Showdown - Grilling Gurus

I would be remiss if I didn't mention all the hard work that went into this fabulous event! Everyone at Macy's from the sales associates to the event staff, to the auxiliary caterers, were what made this competition such a success!

And YOU can be a winner too! Two lucky readers will each receive a copy of the Sizzle Showdown Recipe book that contains the grill recipes prepared by all the competitors in each region. That's right! You can make Sarah's winning chicken dish too! And the booklet contains recipes from each of the members of the Macy's Culinary Council, as well!

It's a Win-Win!

YOU CAN WIN THIS RECIPE BOOK!
***ENTER BELOW***

Just enter the raffle copter below!

Note: This contest begins on 6-8-14 and ends on 6-15-14 at midnight. Home Place Blog is responsible for the dissemination of prizes. Entrants must reside in the continental U.S.
Home Place Blog will notify the winners within 48 hours of the contest end and at that time the winner must provide a valid U.S. mailing address.

This book contains over 20 grill recipes from regions across the U.S.!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For more pictures of the event visit the Home Place Blog facebook page HERE and while you're there don't forget to like us!

Do you like to back yard grill? What's your favorite item to grill? Let me know in the comments below!

(Don't have a google account or any of the selections in the comments box? Simple select the Name/URL selection from the drop down menu. Enter your name and leave the URL blank).

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Disclosure: I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere has provided me with compensation for this post about Macy’s Culinary Council. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own. 

Week Night Dinner with Dei Fratelli Traditional Flavor Pasta Sauce

Let's face it. Working full time and preparing dinner every night isn't easy.  We need to give ourselves permission to take some shortcuts.  As long as the dinner is nutritious and healthy that's what really matters.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I don't always make my own homemade sauce for pasta.  Yes.  More times than not I reach for the jar!

The great folks at Dei Fratelli recently sent me some of their all natural tomato products to review.  I was familiar with the Dei Fratelli brand, because at a recent Sweeties Review Party I was able to sample some of their delicious salsas. In this shipment I received three pasta sauces and one jar of salsa.

Each container was packed well, doubly protected in bubble wrap and the carton was also full of biodegradable packing. So important with anything that gets shipped! This box was definitely packed with care!

Although their website contains lots of great recipes - for our first review, we went with one of our own recipes and decided to make Spaghetti and Super-Duper Meatballs using our tried and true recipe for meatballs.

We decided to pair them with the the Dei Fratelli Traditional Pasta Sauce.

You can make this recipe easily enough too, with items you probably have in your pantry and fridge.  No need to go on a special shopping trip!

You'll need

1 jar of Dei Fratelli Traditional Pasta Sauce
1 package of spaghetti

For the Super-Duper Meatballs

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup of Italian flavored breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1/8 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or fresh garlic to taste)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 or 2 Campari tomatoes coarsely chopped

This recipe makes 12 medium size meatballs. 

And the secret to my super-duper meatball recipe is that I par bake them in the oven to release some of the fat from the meat. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  I usually line the pan with parchment paper - makes for easy clean up later!

While the meatballs bake, put the Dei Fratelli sauce on to simmer.  Remember you should never add anything hot to something cold, or vice versa.

See how much fat is released in this process!

Then, add the meatballs to the sauce and let simmer while the the water for the pasta boils. Note: Dei Fratelli sauce is thick.  If you like your sauce thinner you can add some beef, chicken, or vegetable stock, or, a little water. We did not as we like our sauce thick!

Because we didn't add any salt to the meatballs, we have no guilt adding plenty of salt to the pasta water.  I'm not sure if it's true or not, but my mother used to tell me salty water takes longer to boil, so add the salt just prior to adding the pasta.

When the pasta is done to your liking (we prefer al dente), strain and serve it on a pretty platter, garnished with some fresh parsley and shredded Parmesan cheese.

This meal would pair nicely with a fresh green salad, or a side of some grilled zucchini and squash.

And we LOVED the Dei Fratelli Traditional flavor pasta sauce!  It was thick and hearty, and had a robustly fresh tomato flavor.  Best of all, it's all natural without any crazy preservatives!

Hearty and HEALTHY - you can't beat that!

Sauce Ingredients: Crushed Tomatoes, Onions, Sugar, Sea Salt, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Oregano, Romano Cheese (Cow''s Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), Garlic, Basil, Spices. Contains Milk.

Look for Dei Fratelli pasta sauce in your local supermarket or grocery aisle - or you can even order it online HERE! 

They have several gift baskets available for the "tomato-lovers" in your life, or you can simply order a jar of their wonderful pasta sauce or salsa for yourself! Go ahead, you deserve it, treat yourself!

I can't wait to try the other Dei Fratelli pasta sauce flavors!  And the yummy salsa!

Disclaimer: The Dei Fratelli Traditional Flavor Pasta Sauce was provided for me to review, however all opinions expressed are my own..