by Sharm | Nov 18, 2016 | Entertaining, Food & Drink, Whole Foods Market
Creating an elegant cheese board is easy with these tips and tricks from Whole Foods Market. As an ambassador for Whole Foods Market we are given a monthly theme and gift card to create and share a recipe with you. This months theme is cheese and of course turkey!
Cheese platters are a great way to offer a tasty appetizer and this recipe for rosemary goat cheese would be a great addition to add to the platter.
Whole Foods Market has an amazing cheese island section with cheeses from all over the world and for all tastes. From mild to sharp and even those stinky cheeses that appeal to some distinguished pallets, you will find what you are looking for there. My favorite cheese is Dubliner from Ireland. It is a mild and flavorful cheese that pairs nicely with everything!
Below are some tips from Whole Foods Market and me for putting together a fabulous cheese tray.
I always like to add some olives, grapes and some type of cured meat.
Sometimes I will throw on a handful of my maple glazed walnuts, which are divine and great on salads or as a healthy snack.
Here are a few rules of thumb from Whole Foods Market for building a compelling cheese board, and a few solid cheeses for a variety of themes.
People eat with their eyes as well as their mouths — use a rustic butcherboard or slab of natural stone for an appealing, dramatic presentation.
Be sure to let your cheeses sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes before serving. This brings out those lovely nuances of flavor and aroma.
Give your cheeses room to settle and breathe—you don’t want to crowd them on the dish.
Want luxury? Try these cheeses:
Delice de Bourgogne – rich & tangy; made by combining full-fat milk with creme fraiche
Rogue River Anniversary Blue – made in southern Oregon; pairs well with bourbon whiskey
Pleasing picky eaters? Try these cheeses:
Lamb Chopper – mild & creamy; made from Dutch sheep’s milk
Le Petit 60% French Brie – silky & mild; a crowd pleaser
Love bold and smoky flavors? Try these cheeses:
6 year Cheddar – bold, flavorful; will make sharp cheddar enthusiasts swoon
Applewood Smoked Gouda – lightly smoked; slightly sweet
Be sure to check out the Whole Foods Market website where you can sign up to win free groceries for a year and if you a foodie like me and love sharing your holiday traditions snap a pic of your favorite recipe or holiday moment and share on Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #MyHolidayTradish. Whole foods will be following along and sharing some of them on their holiday website and social media channels.
Don’t forget that Whole Foods Market can do the cooking for you and if you place an order online by Nov 22nd, you will receive a coupon for $10 off a purchase of $75 or more in your email on Tuesday, Nov 29th. More details here.
by Sharm | Nov 9, 2016 | Food & Drink, Giveaways, Local Products, Local Restaurants, What You're Missing KC!, Wichita
If you were around the Kansas City area from 1980 to 2004, then you should be quite familiar with Tippin’s and are going to love this giveaway for two ways to win a fabulous Tippin’s pie. If you are not familiar with Tippin’s, here is a little history for you.
Tippin’s restaurants were sprinkled throughout Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas and were a staple to those areas being famous for pie, in about every flavor you could imagine. The last Tippin’s closed in the summer of 2004 and although the restaurants have been closed for quite some time, the pies live on.
Ball’s Food Stores rescued a piece of the Kansas City pie legend, by buying the brand and creating Tippin’s Gourmet Pies. The pies are made fresh all day long locally in Kansas City, Kansas. The pies are available at grocery stores in the Kansas City metro and beyond including St.Louis, Tulsa, Wichita and more.
If your local grocery store happens to be a Dillons or Hen House, now is your chance to win one just in time for the holidays.
Tippin’s Pumpkin pie
Details on winning the pie will come in a bit but first I have to tell you that if you were a fan of the pies, they are as good now as they were back then.
How do I know? My sister and I recently got together and since this opportunity came up for me to write about their pies, we decided we had better try one for old time sake as she used to work there in high school.
Not all pies are available at every store and some carry only the cream, some just fruit and others both. You can check the pie finder on the Tippin’s website for the closest store near you. If you find there is no store close to you, fear not as you can order them online and they will be shipped right to your door! My store happen to be Dillons in Wichita, Kansas where I found the beloved and classic French silk.
If you end up browsing the Tippin’s website, you will find a page with stories from devoted fans sharing their memories of the beloved restaurant and pie! So in addition to the giveaway, I must share my beloved memories with you, so, back to the French silk pie…
It looked just like we remembered with the fancy lattice design of fresh whip cream topped with hand-made chocolate curls. Although, it looked the same, the question was, did it taste the same?
Tippin’s French Silk
It did! And wow, how that first bite brought back a flood of memories. The chocolate filling was decadent, rich and smooth and there is no mistaking the taste of the real whip cream topping. The combination of the crust which is slightly salty and crunchy paired with creaminess of the sweet pie filling is one reason why this pie is their most popular seller.
I certainly had my share of Tippin’s food and their pies growing up as both of my sisters worked there in high school. After every shift worked, they got to bring a piece of pie home and many times being the little sister, they let me choose the flavor. Between the two of them working we literally had pie everyday!
Tippin’s peanut butter merengue pie was one of my favorites! I also loved the Boston cream pie, coconut cream, key lime, pecan, fresh strawberry when it was in season, German chocolate and of course the classic French silk. Really, I never met one I did not like.
Tippin’s was our families go to place for pretty much every occasion. My mom always gave her parents Tippin’s gift certificates when gift giving was in order and they loved it. When they passed and we were cleaning out their things, we found a stack of the old gift certificates in a cabinet which gave us a good laugh at that much needed time.
In addition to pie, their cornbread and frisco burger was my go to meal. I have mastered the corn bread recipe and still make it to this day for our family.
Years ago, my husbands grandpa was visiting us from out of town and whatever meal I was making included the cornbread. He was a sweet man who was just a little rough around the edges and leaned over to my husband and said, “God damn that woman makes good cornbread.” I can still hear him saying that to this day and is one of my fondest memories. One of these days I will get the cornbread recipe up on the blog for you. If you cannot wait for it just email me and I will send it your way.
Now that I have taken a walk down memory lane, we can get back to business on that giveaway!
If your local grocery store is a Dillons or Hen House you can enter to win! Hen House is offering a gift certificate, good for one Tippin’s Pie and Dillon’s, a gift card for $20.
To enter just leave comment of you favorite Tippin’s memory, favorite Tippin’s pie flavor or if you are not familiar with Tippin’s, your favorite pie flavor in general. Also please specify if your store is Hen House or Dillons.
Contest will be open for one week and close midnight Wednesday, November 16. Winner will be chosen using random.org. Winner will be notified via email and the certificate or gift card will be sent to you to use on your favorite pie, just in time for the holidays.
If you do not have a Hen House or Dillons close to you but know someone who does, please feel free to share this giveaway with them.
Thanks for entering and while you are at it feel free to like and follow all of my social media channels:
Facebook: Discover Finer Living
Twitter: @SharminMeadows
Instagram:sharminmeadows
Pinterest: Sharmin Meadows
Happy Eating and Good Luck!
