All I Eat Food!

A Fashionista Gone Hungry!

Vacation for Brunch

June 30, 2024allieatfood 5 Comments

The morning Lisa and I went to Cuba was one I will never forget. It was slightly humid but a perfect summer morning regardless. We wore dresses and casually walked through the streets with hungry stomachs.

No, I we did not really go to Cuba. But step foot in Cuba Libre, located in Philadelphia and you will feel like you just set foot in downtown Cuba.

The beautiful trees, cultural decorations and open windows create an ambiance like no other.

We were lucky enough to be invited to enjoy brunch and try the new menu celebrating Cuba Libre’s 10th anniversary which was created by chef Guillermo Perno (James Beard Award for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic Region & Best Single Subject Cookbook ) and inspired by his trip to Cuba.

At first we though we might be experiencing brunch with other bloggers. Maybe we would sit at a large table together. Maybe there would be a brunch style breakfast. Instead we were completely spoiled and sat at a table for two and were given the opportunity to order anything on the menu. Anything? Such dangerous words for food bloggers.

So we decided on the brunch without borders, a tapas style brunch where you pay $25 per person and order as much as you like.

We both started with the Café Cuba Libre which was exactly what I was looking for. Sweet, foamy and smooth.

Each table is given an assortment of bread:

Warm banana bread, guava cream cheese hojaldre, crispy churro and orange-ginger muffin.

Accompanied by mango butter and guava marmalade. Note to self, make mango butter.

And then the rounds of food began. I’m not kidding when I say “rounds”

Round 1:

Atún Africano

African adobo-rubbed charred tuna, pickled cucumber salad

and avocado salsa. Preserved Meyer lemon-curry oil

Cóctel de Camarones

Cuban style shrimp cocktail. Latino cóctel and avocado salsa

Camarones a la Parrilla

Cuban pesto-marinated grilled shrimp, boniato chip

and arugula salad. Pimentón-lemon vinaigrette

Round 2:

Torta de Cangrejo Benedict

Jumbo lump crabmeat and potato cake, poached egg,

avocado mash. Tomato Hollandaise sauce

Frituras de Bacalao

Salted cod fritters. Homemade lemon mayonnaise

Pulpo con Berenjenas

Truffle and citrus marinated grilled baby octopus,

Haitian eggplant salad

Round 3:

Cesar de Oriente

Crispy spring roll of Cortez chorizo and shrimp.

Shredded hearts of romaine. Roasted garlic-Caesar

dressing and Cotija cheese

Ensalada de Pollo Rancho Luna

Citrus marinated pulled chicken salad, Napa cabbage,

romaine lettuce, sweet grapes tomatoes, red onions,

cucumbers and crispy wontons. Chinita mustard dressing

Albondigas Camagüey

Chino glazed beef, pork, and pine nut meatballs.

Pickled carrot-cilantro slaw

Frituras de Malanga

A traditional Cuban appetizer of purple taro root,

garlic and culantro fritters. Tamarindo ketchup

Buñuelos de Espinaca

Spinach and Manchego cheese puffs.

Goat cheese-ranch sauce and organic olive oil

At first we considered doing a “dessert” round:

Torreja

Hazelnut and almond encrusted brioche French toast.

Frangelico-Mascarpone cheese,

drunken strawberry-honey drizzle

Waffle de Chocolate

Cuban chocolate waffle, chunky banana-sun dried

cherry-vanilla syrup

Which was pretty hard to turn down but our stomachs had all the amazing food they could take.

Our experience went above and beyond what we were expecting. Between the food, the atmosphere, the great service and fun we had…it isn’t if I will be back, it is when! And the brunch deal is just too great to turn down.

Why not take a vacation to Cuba this weekend? I hear there’s a mojito with your name on it.

Terrific Two Cent Tuesday

June 28, 2024allieatfood 6 Comments

Well hello! It’s Tuesday. You know, the day after Monday. And also the one where I give my two cents! In case you missed last week’s TCT!

1.) This recipe is simply amazing! Homemade goldfish crackers and instructions on how to make the cookie cutter! Simply genius (not to mention delicious).

2.) Have you seen the amazing levitating girl? Her blog is dedicated to photos she takes of herself and others that make it look like they are just hanging in the air. Realistically, she is jumping, sometimes for 100s of times she said.

3.) The Dainty Chef recently took part in Foodbuzz’s 24 x 24 event where she hosted a Philly themed party! Check it out for amazing homemade Philly treats.

4.) Five diet rules it is okay to break!? I’m all about breaking rules.

5.) Do you enjoy food on a stick? Check this recipe out for a delicious mango on a stick recipe and a chance to win a book about… well, food on a stick!

6.) Sure you’ve tried tomato and mozzarella salad but what about tomato, mozzarella and strawberry!

7.) This girl has a good thing going! She drinks while blogging and is hysterical. I highly recommend her site for a good laugh.

8.) Have you ever tried a stuffed cookie!? Neither have I, but these recipes are high on my to do list!

9.) Do you ever crave soup during the grossly hot summer months? Why not try a cool mango gazpacho recipe? Slurp it down to cool you off!

10.) Have you ever tried grilled corn? It is a great way to jazz up a summer classic.

Would you like to be featured in next week’s TCT? Feel free to leave a comment, tweet me or email me. Or you can become a fan on facebook and let me know there! I will gladly feature your interesting link!

On your palate these will please–Homemade Ravioli with Goat Cheese

June 27, 2024allieatfood 12 Comments

After visiting Cherry Grove Farm I had quite the assortment of cheese on my hands. And when is a lot of cheese ever a bad thing? The real question is, besides consuming large amounts of cheese and crackers, what can you do with cheese?!

Make ravioli of course!

Don’t worry. I was scared about making homemade ravioli too. But I promise this recipe is really easy and versatile.

You will need:

•3 cups flour

•1 cup of hot water

•Extra flour for dusting

•Goat cheese

•Lemon zest

•Olive oil

•Sea salt

1.) Combine flour and water in a bowl and stir until the mixture becomes doughy. Form into a ball and cover with plastic wrap for 15 minutes.

2.) Place dough on a clean surface that you have dusted with flour. Begin rolling dough with a rolling pin and continue to roll until dough is very thin but will not rip when folding. While you are rolling you may want to dust the rolling pin with flour and continue to add more flour as necessary if it is sticky.

3.) Cut dough into whichever shape you please. I chose square but circular ravioli would work too. After making the first piece, use it to measure the other pieces.

4.) Place about a teaspoon of goat cheese in the middle of each square then top with another piece of dough. Press the edges to seal the dough.

5.) To cook ravioli simply boil water and place ravioli gently in the water. When the ravioli are finished they will float to the top in about 4-5 minutes.

6.) Top with olive oil, lemon zest and sea salt. These ingredients can be used as liberally as you like! I would suggest adding a little bit of ravioli topping and then just taste as you go and add more if you like.

The goat cheese that I used was lavender and honey, which is why I chose to stick with simple ingredients to use with the ravioli – lemon, olive oil and sea salt. Not only was the goat cheese creamy and tangy but the bold flavor of the lavender accompanied by the subtle honey really creates something unique.

While making homemade ravioli may seem tricky, once you learn the technique you will most likely start experimenting with all kinds of creations! And while I can’t promise any ravioli concoction will be amazing, stick with goat cheese and you won’t be disappointed.

Farm Fresh Friday: Cherry Grove Farm

June 24, 2024allieatfood 8 Comments

It’s kind of ironic that I write about farms each Friday because farms and I just don’t mix well. But what you must understand is that I love everything that comes from the farm and what the food does for everyone involved. Local, farm grown products are not only healthier but better for the environment, the animals, the farmers… the whole process just makes the world a better place.

So when Robin asked if I would be interested in visiting Cherry Grove Farm, I won’t lie, I hesitated a bit at the thought of what exactly we would be doing on the farm. Would I be picking fruit? Would we be seeing animals? Most importantly, would I be getting dirty?

But alas, there were no worries. “Cheese,” Robin said. I’m sure there were other words that went along with cheese but that was clearly all I heard. "Cheese!? Heck yes!” I replied.

So off we (Robin, Lisa, Wendy and I) went on one of the hottest days of Farm Fresh season in search of cheese.

Despite getting a tad bit lost we arrived at Cherry Grove Farm in the earlier part of the day. When we got there we ventured into the little shop where there was not only cheese but local products galore. It was really great seeing so many products all in one little shop.

After educating ourselves about great NJ products we decided to venture out to the farm.

It was actually a little surprising to see such a wide variety of animals on the farm. Maybe it was because I was expecting cheese and cheese = cows and not pigs, goats and baby cows…but I was pleasantly surprised to see these animals!

Am I the only one that can’t help but smile when I see this many animals hanging out together? I just imagine the conversations they were having with each other. They were VERY chatty!

After we took a peak at the animals we were introduced to Stacy, who is in charge of marketing for Cherry Grove. She was kind enough to give us some background on the farm and show us around.

We were lucky enough to see this little guy! A baby calf who was born just 4 days before. He was really wobbly and when I went to pet him he backed away terrified. Stacy said once they are socialized with humans they learn to love them like the rest of the cows.

We also had a peek at some of the Mommy cows. One of the cows was the mom of the baby calf so she was still resting and the other cow had broken her hip. Cherry Grove is not only sustainable and organic, but they use no growth hormones, antibiotics or steroids. That means that in order for the cow to heal she simply rests and gets better naturally. Stacy also told us that they feed the cows kale because it is a natural super food and helps them heal quicker.

Cherry Grove also has chickens that are kept in chicken coops most of the time because there are predators on the farm. We were told that during the day hawks want the chickens and at night fox are out to get them! So there is a short time period where they can roam free.

After our tour we headed back inside where we had the chance to try some cheese!

Cherry Grove Havilah is a hard-aged alpine style cheese, with a beautiful black rind made from a layer of ash. This cheese is slightly pungent with a sweet finish and some pineapple notes. A great accompaniment to pears and apples.

Full Nettle Jack cheese actually contains stinging nettles which are not only tasty but have great healing powers as well!

Stay tuned for a recipe that uses their fresh goat cheese!

And while we were eating and purchasing cheese we were also watching it be made! It doesn’t get any more interesting and fresh than that.

We had a great day learning about fresh cheese and where it comes from – a place where animals are treated with love and food is made by people who are passionate about what they do.

Now that is one reason I am proud to say, I am from New Jersey.

Two Cent Tuesday!

June 21, 2024allieatfood 6 Comments

Welcome back to Two Cent Tuesday, where I give my two cents of what I found interesting during the past week.

1.) Do you love cooking? Of course you do! Now you can wear your passion with fun necklaces found on Etsy. I own one of these and another cooking related necklace and love it!

2.) Have you seen the cupcake in a jar?! I think it is a deliciously creative idea!

3.) Is there such thing as “healthy” donuts? Well, maybe not, but there is such thing as healthier donuts. And great news, you can order them online and have them shipped to you!

4.) Better than what cake!? You’ll just have to check it out for yourself, but one thing is for sure…Tina has a cake recipe and not only is it amazing but scaled down in case you eat the whole thing.

5.) Would you love to have a Keurig? Make sure you enter Brandi’s giveaway which ends Thursday!

6.) Mac and cheese grilled cheese. Oh no, you read that right!

7.) If you live near Philadelphia, make sure you stop by the Taste of Philadelphia this weekend!

8.) Ever wish taking vitamins tasted good? Now they can with VitaminSpice…spices enhanced with vitamins!

9.) If you LOVE pickles, you just might like this frozen treat!

10.) Looking for a unique salad?

Enjoy your day

Turn Strawberries into Shortcakes

June 20, 2024allieatfood 3 Comments

My only complaint about having fresh fruits and veggies a plenty is that sometimes I don’t have a chance to eat them before they go bad. So my goal is always to come up with a list of recipes and search for those items that are involved. But if you do decide to randomly grab some produce, coming up with your own recipes can be fun too! And if worse comes to worst… just throw everything into a salad!

One thing I knew I had to make with the strawberries I picked at Duffield’s was…

Strawberry Shortcakes – Recipe from Mary Nolan of Chic & Easy

Preheat oven to 400

You will need:

1 1/2 pounds strawberries, stemmed and quartered
5 tablespoons sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

For whipped cream:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

1.) Mix strawberries and 3 TBS sugar and refrigerate for at least a half hour. This will get everything nice and sweet and create juices from the berries.

2.) Combine ingredients for whipped cream in a mixer and beat until soft peaks form. I suggest refrigerating for a bit to make sure it is cold and more firm.

3.) Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and 2 TBS sugar and salt in a bowl. Add heavy cream and mix well. Place mixture in a greased pan and bake 18-20 minutes until golden. I actually used a larger pan than suggested (8 inch) because I wanted to make thinner shortcakes so I could make smaller pieces.

4.) Remove pan from oven and allow to cool. If you are making regular sized shortcakes you will slice the shortcake in 6 pieces and slice in half. I searched for something small enough to make mini shortcakes and wound up using a champagne glass! It was perfect and the right size I was looking for. But a cookie cutter would work just as well

5.) Assemble! Top one piece of shortcake with the berries, then the cream and then the other shortcake piece.

I loved the mini version because it was a just right bite! Also, knowing that I picked these berries and actually worked for them, made them taste that much better. Strawberries are one fruit that I know will never go to waste, especially with recipes such as this one. And the flavors – the warm, cake-like shortcake, the creamy, sweet, whipped cream and the melt-in-your-mouth strawberries – well I just don’t think anything screams summer more than that!

Farm Fresh Friday: Duffield’s & Strawberries.

June 17, 2024allieatfood 11 Comments

Welcome back to Farm Fresh Friday! Did you see last week’s FFF?

Farmers markets and stands are fun on their own, but the ability to actually pick your food right from the plant itself just adds another exciting element. When I visited Duffield’s, located in Sewell, NJ, I had one thing on my mind:

Strawberries.

The perfect time to pick strawberries is very short lived. It lasts from a few weeks into May until the middle of June. Which means that if you haven’t picked strawberries yet, you might want to hurry!!

The market part of Duffield’s has a variety of local foods to buy, where shoppers can also buy strawberries that have been picked.

But the berries that I wanted were the ones I had to work for!

There’s really something satisfying about walking through a field in search of strawberries or really any kind of produce. It’s that moment when you lift up the bright green leaves and think, “Well that’s where they come from!”

The first glance makes you feel like you found the first Christmas present!

Except with strawberries, the gifts don’t end.

I always like finding the crazy looking berries. And then I have a conflict of whether to pick them because I feel bad or let them be.

I suggest that for optimal berry picking capabilities you bring someone along.

The more people picking = more berries, more quickly! Not to mention it is a fun activity. This was Jay’s first time picking strawberries so it was exciting !

Here are some tips when picking strawberries:

1.) Don’t be afraid to be selective. You are in a whole field filled with berries! Take your time, lift the leaves and search for bright, dark, medium sized berries.

2.) Wear sneakers or beat up shoes because they will most likely get strawberries, dirt and hay on them.

3.) Wash your arms and legs off shortly after picking because the strawberry vines have small hairs that will irritate your skin.

Most importantly, have fun and enjoy the fruit of your labor, literally!

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