Farm to Table

So I blinked and eight weeks flew by. Eight weeks without a blog post. There's been plenty of cooking, but not a lot of documenting. Plenty of Instagramming and a little Facebooking, but no blog posts. Sorry about that!

It's summertime, my little guy is turning two this week (how did that happen?!?) and believe it or not, we're still unpacking boxes on weekends (we moved over a year ago).

A few weeks ago I went on a farm tour with my local ShopRite store and my friend Iris from The Palate Princess. Despite the 90+ degree weather, I had a fabulous time.

Check out my post over on ShopRite's Potluck blog and I'll be back soon with a recipe!

Grocery Tips | Stock Up and Save with Canned Goods

Last week I did a post for ShopRite's Potluck Blog to promote and support their semi-annual Can Can Sale. If you live in the mid-Atlantic region, you're probably familiar with the event, but even if you live outside this area, I shared some helpful tips for utilizing canned foods in recipes.

Take a minute to check out my post and let me know what you think!

Barilla Pasta with Chorizo and Chickpeas

If you're looking for a weeknight pasta dish that's not run-of-the-mill, check out my most recent recipe on the ShopRite Potluck Blog for Barilla Pasta with Chorizo and Chickpeas. You can use whatever shape pasta you have on hand and if you don't have or don't enjoy chorizo, Italian sausage (turkey or pork) is a great alternative. The leftovers are good for lunch the following day and the chickpeas are an affordable healthy way to add bulk and flavor to this dish.

Check out the recipe here.

Potluck for ShopRite | Beef Stew

Happy (almost) fall, ya'll!

Summer is my favorite season, so I'll admit I'm feeling a little down about saying goodbye to locally grown sweet, fresh fruit, beach days, Max's baby pool on the deck, backyard barbecues on hot nights, and endless sunny days. However, since autumn arrives this week I'm trying to look forward to all the highlights of the upcoming season. I've already enjoyed a pumpkin spice latte, I put up a little bit of fall decor over the weekend and we're planning to go apple picking for the first time this year.

I am part of a team of bloggers who contribute to a blog for my favorite regional grocery store, ShopRite. The blog is called Potluck and I review products and typically write a post every month for the site. I'm proud to say that I've been part of this project for three years. My latest post is a beef stew that's perfect for fall. Hop on over to Potluck and check out my latest post!

Clayton's Organic Beef | Check it out on Potluck

Happy first day of summer! I just did a product review and recipe featuring Clayton's Organic Beef over on Potluck, ShopRite's blog. Although I cooked the steak indoors, this recipe can easily be adapted for the grill.

Hop on over to Potluck and check out the recipe. If you live in the Mid-Atlantic region, you can buy Clayton's Organic Beef at your local ShopRite.

I received Clayton's Organic Beef compliments of ShopRite. I am a contributor for their blog, Potluck. All opinions are my own and Keeley and ShopRite go way back... as in, before the days of blogging.

Ooh La La Crepes! | Cooking Class with Chef Diane

Last October I went to the NYC Wine and Food Festival as part of my blogging gig with ShopRite. Did I mention that? If not, please forgive me for the missing blog post. It was our first time leaving 10 week-old Max overnight and I was frazzled. We did, however have a fantastic time and that experience warrants its own blog post.

Anyway, Chef Dianne Pollick, who has a personal chef service and who works as one of ShopRite's Culinary Workshop instructors also attended the NYCWFF. Somehow we didn't meet that day, but she followed up with me and invited me to attend one of her classes at a store in Delaware. Last fall I attended not one, but two of her classes and I had such a great time that we decided to book a private class for my new moms group.

If you live in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast region, it's likely that your local ShopRite store hosts cooking classes on a weekly basis. You can find the current class schedule at your local store or online at the ShopRite web page. In my area a two-hour course costs $20. The classes are hands-on and there's plenty of time to ask questions and learn new techniques. You get to eat everything you create and you come home with a handful of recipe cards so you can re-create everything at home. The classes in Northern Delaware are taught by Chef Dianne and she's pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

This past Saturday we enjoyed a lesson on crepes.

It was extra special because all of the attendees were from my new moms group. We spent a few hours away from our infants and got to socialize, enjoy a meal and learn some new recipes. Each woman in the group is a mother to at least one child and all of us have children under seven months old. Needless to say, we had a great time getting out, even if it was to a cooking class in comfortable clothes.

I love these classes because they are hands-on. Each person in our group of eight got to help prep ingredients and we all got to take turns making crepes. I made at least ten crepes and I now feel confident enough with my technique to make them at home.

We did savory crepes like crab florentine...

And roasted asparagus with goat cheese...

And you know we had to have dessert, so we also made a blueberry ricotta crepe, which would be even more awesome if made with marscapone cheese...

As much as I love to cook, I had never made crepes prior to this class. I love crepes and I order them when they are on the menu, but I really appreciate knowing how to make my own.

I learned that crepes are simple to make once you learn the technique and that they can easily be frozen. You use the same base recipe for both sweet and savory crepes, so they are versatile. I plan to make my own recipe for fillings that work for my family and I promise to share it right here on the blog.

If you live in Delaware, the Brandywine and Riverfront ShopRite stores offer classes and you also have the option to book a private class for a group of 8 to 10. If you live in another area, contact your store's customer service desk for available classes.

Just a note, this is NOT a sponsored post. I'm just sharing my experience with Chef Dianne and ShopRite's Culinary Workshop. I was not compensated for sharing my experience. I am just a woman who loves crepes.

Want to hear more about ShopRite's Culinary Workshop? Click here to read a review of my experience at an earlier class with Chef Dianne.

Fresh Bruschetta + ShopRite Extra Virgin California Olive Oil

Please check out my latest post over on Potluck!  Bruschetta is one of my favorite uses for fresh tomatoes and basil.  If you live in the Mid-Atlantic region, ShopRite has a quality (and affordable) California Extra Virgin Olive Oil and it works well in this recipe.

ShopRite Cans for Fans!

I have the honor of being a contributor for Potluck, the food blog for ShopRite stores.  For those of you who live in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic, you've probably shopped at ShopRite and you're familiar with their semi-annual Can Can Sale.  Around these parts the commercials with the dancing "Can Can" girls are iconic and I grew up dancing whenever the commercials aired.  As an adult I realized that the sale was also a great opportunity to stock up on canned goods, so now I look forward to the big Can Can Sale in January.  This year's sale starts tomorrow!

This year, ShopRite is donating one canned good for every "like" they receive on their Facebook page.  You can help regional food banks without even stepping away from  your computer!  Please consider liking ShopRite's Facebook page and if you're in the area, I have some tips on items to consider stocking up on during the Can Can Sale.

The great thing about canned goods is that they are shelf stable for years and they can enhance your home cooking.  I'm not a fan of canned soups or similar processed foods, but I love using canned beans and some canned fruits and vegetables (especially the low sugar/low sodium varieties) as ingredients in my recipes.  I am taking this opportunity to stock up on the following canned items:

1. Tomatoes (whole, crushed, and diced) - for homemade marinara, chili, salsa, and soup
2. Beans (especially small red, small white, and black) - for chili, dips, and soups
3. Fruits (peaches and cherries) - for cobblers and cake fillings

ShopRite also has specials called "UnCanny Savings" on items that are not sold in cans like laundry detergent, cereal, and refrigerated items during this sale.

If you live in Delaware, ShopRite just opened at new store in Bear, DE in Governor's Square.  It's a huge, modern store with plenty of space for all of the shoppers who will rush through the doors to take advantage of the Can Can Sale over the next two weeks.  If you're in the area, check it out.  If you're in NJ, PA, MD, NY, or CT, there's probably a ShopRite near your home.  My husband and I have shopped there since college and it's our favorite place to spend our paychecks.  :)

Happy shopping (and saving)!

2011 Year in Review: NYC Wine & Food Festival

Here's my New Year's Resolution:  I'm going to stay up do date with my blog posts.  I think I'm pretty good about posting semi-regularly, but I seem to have a hard time doing write-ups of major events like vacations and festivals.  Maybe I just have too much to say?  Maybe it's the large volume of photos?  Either way, I'm going to try to be more timely in 2012.  With that said...

A few weeks ago I migrated from my (inexpensive) Dell PC laptop to a new MacBook Pro.  At first I was so frustrated with the differences between a PC and a Mac (despite the fact that I've had an iPhone for over 6 months) that I was ready to throw the new computer out the window.  Then I took my time and actually started to learn my new computer (with the help of some nice people at my local Apple store) and I'm really happy with my purchase.  One of the biggest things I've learned so far is how to use iPhoto to organize and edit my pictures.  It's a revelation.  And with that revelation I've realized that I somehow forgot about lots of my culinary adventures in 2011 and I still have some photos (and video) to share!

I know it may seem irrelevant to post photos from food escapades from the summer and fall in the dead of winter, but I'm just going to call it a year-in-review and go for it.  And I'm starting with the New York City Wine and Food Festival back in October 2011.

If you've been reading for a while you may remember that I attended the NYCWFF for the first time in 2010.  Both of my trips were sponsored by ShopRite as a perk of writing for their blog, Potluck.  (You can read some of my Potluck posts here.)

This year we stayed in the uber-cool, uber-contemporary Dream Downtown Hotel in Manhattan.  It was just a hop, skip and a jump from the festival.  The rooms were small in size, but big on style.

The bathroom was unlike anything I'd ever seen.  All glass walls (frosted), speakers that play ambient music when you close the (glass) door, and stainless steel everything...

Yes, my friends... that photo above is the toilet.  It looked like an airplane toilet to us.  We got a lot of laughs out of that one.

The lobby was also amazing.  From the main lobby you can look up and see guests swimming in the glass-bottom pool on the next level.  In October.  In New York.  Good thing it was warm on October 1st!  (The glass circles in the photo below are "windows" to the pool above.)

So yeah, we were feeling all Kardashian-esque in this cool NYC hotel.  But that's not even the main part of our trip.  I attended two events:  The Grand Tasting and Bobby Flay's Burger Bash (in nearby Brooklyn).  Both events were great!

At the Grand Tasting we had the opportunity to sample food and drink from what seemed like hundreds of vendors and I spent some time promoting the Potluck blog with ShopRite...

Tomato soup shooters with grilled cheese... cute!

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After spending an incredible afternoon eating way too much food and sampling way too much alcohol, we took a short break and then headed out to the Blue Moon Burger Bash in Brooklyn.  It was a beef-filled, star-studded extravaganza.  It was a warm October night and the rain held off until the end of the event.  I'm not a big beef-eater, but I had my favorite burger taster with me!

The competitors prepared their burgers fresh on-site for us to taste and vote.

Way too much beef and Blue Moon for one night.  If you like beer and burgers, you'd love this!

And as I learned in 2010, no NYC Wine and Food Festival event is complete without a sprinkling of food celebrities!

Jeff Mauro, recent winner of Food Network Star.  Have you seen the promo commercial where he's at the Burger Bash? 

Bobby Flay and Sunny Andersen!  O-M-to the Gee!

Anne Burrell

Adam Richman from Man vs. Food

And the views were beautiful that evening... You can see the smoke from the grills in the air.  The smell was intoxicating (in a good way)!

Brooklyn Bridge

 Here's my favorite photo from the entire weekend.  Bing set up a photo booth at the festival as a promotion, so I took the opportunity to take silly photos with my food blogging friends and of course, my husband, who is always down for a culinary adventure!

October 2011

A much belated thank you to ShopRite who sponsored our trip (and the festival!).  I am one of the writers for their blog, Potluck, so please check me out sometime.  

Happy New Year!  Stay tuned for a few more travel posts and some new recipes!

Salsa Rice

Happy Friday!

Check out my latest blog post on Potluck for a super-easy Salsa Rice.  It's a great side dish for your Tex-Mex fare!  Think burritos, enchiladas, tacos...  Click here to check it out!

Weekend Plans...

For the second year in a row I'm off to fabulous NYC for the Food & Wine Festival, courtesy of my BFFs at ShopRite.  I'll be at the Grand Tasting and the Blue Moon Burger Bash on Friday, so if you're there, stop by and say hi!

I'll have plenty of photos and videos to share upon my return (and hopefully I'll be on the ball and not take two months to post them... I still haven't finished with my summer travel photos).  If you want a little flavor of the festivities, check out my post from the 2010 NYC Food & Wine Festival and the video I posted last year.

I'll be back soon with some fall recipes, some long overdue posts and all the details from the Food &Wine Festival!

Spicy Salsa Wings

Mmm... chicken wings!  Check out my recipe for Spicy Salsa Wings over on Potluck.  You can grill these wings outdoors (my favorite method) or bake them in the oven.

ShopRite + Phillies = Hunger Relief

Philadelphia-area readers, here's a link for an opportunity for you to give back to our community.  If you'll be in the area, please consider bringing a canned food donation to this event.

What's my connection?  I'm a ShopRite customer and I also write for ShopRite's blog, Potluck.  Oh yes, and you know we love the Phillies. 

Here is the official press release.  Hope that you can attend!:

Tailgate Party with ShopRite and the Phillies!

Join the ShopRite Potluck blogger team as they tailgate with ShopRite and the Phillies this Sunday, July 10th from 11 AM - 3 PM. Aside from a great game (Phillies v. Braves) and an excuse to hang with the Phanatic and Phillies legend Greg Luzinski -- both scheduled to appear! -- this event is also a food drive to benefit Philabundance, the Delaware Valley's largest hunger relief organization. So, come on down, learn to Can Can with your favorite Potluck blogger and the Phillies Ball Girls. Don't forget your canned food donation. Just look for the ShopRite Can Can 40th Anniversary truck, featuring the iconic Can Can dancers, located on Citizens Bank Way -- see you at the ball game!

Additional highlights of the day’s events:


LIVE 98.1 WOGL broadcast with The Breakfast Club hosts Valerie Knight and Frank Lewis;

A chance to win tickets to ShopRite Day at the Phillies on Sunday, August 28;

Food sampling and giveaways, while supplies last;

An appearance by the Phillies Phanatic*;

And… a special visit by Phillies legend Greg Luzinski*.

The event is open to the public; game tickets are not required to access the ShopRite Partners In Caring food drive on Citizens Bank Way.

ShopRite is a proud sponsor of the Phillies and a longtime friend to Philabundance, the largest hunger relief organization in the Delaware Valley. Through its ShopRite Partners In Caring program, ShopRite donates more than $2 million annually to food banks, such as Philabundance, throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland.

ShopRite is also one of the many Phillies partners taking part in the Phans Feeding Families month- long initiative, aimed to help raise money and collect food to feed the 900,000 people in the Delaware Valley that are at risk of hunger each year. For more information, please visit www.phillies.com/feeding families.

“Fighting hunger lies at the very heart of the ShopRite Partners In Caring program and we have enjoyed a long partnership with Philabundance, helping them to feed those in need throughout the Philadelphia region,” said Chris Magyarits, spokeswoman for ShopRite Partners In Caring. “Extending that partnership to include the Phillies with this event is a fun way to engage our customers in the cause and to bring awareness to the issue of hunger to the Philadelphia community.”

“ShopRite has long been a supporter of helping to feed those in need," said David Buck, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Advertising Sales, The Phillies. “We're proud to partner with them in this unique food drive, which is among the many outreach efforts included in the month-long Phans Feeding Families initiative.”

“Grocery bills tend to go up during summer months when the children are home, which poses a challenge for many families,” said Marianne Lynch, Director of Development for Philabundance.

“ShopRite Partners In Caring’s tailgate and food drive come at a critical time and will benefit the many families struggling right now in the Delaware Valley.”

*scheduled to appear
About ShopRite


ShopRite is the registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative, based in Keasbey, NJ and the largest supermarket cooperative in the United States. With more than 230 ShopRite supermarkets located throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland, ShopRite serves more than five million customers each week. A long-time supporter of key community efforts, ShopRite is dedicated to fighting hunger in the communities it serves. Through its ShopRite Partners In Caring program, ShopRite has donated more than $24 million to 1,700 worthy charities and food banks since the program began in 1999. As a title sponsor of the LPGA’s ShopRite Classic, ShopRite has raised more than $23 million for local schools, hospitals and community groups. For more information, please visit www.ShopRite.com.


About Philabundance


Philabundance reduces hunger and food insecurity in the Delaware Valley by providing food access to people in need in partnership with organizations and individuals. Philabundance provides a full plate of services to close to 500 member agencies in 9 counties, who serve approximately 65,000 people per week at an aggregate cost of 50 cents per meal. There are more than 900,000 people in the Delaware Valley who are at risk for chronic hunger and malnutrition. In 2010, Philabundance distributed 21 million pounds of food. For more information about Philabundance, visit www.philabundance.org or call 215-339-0900.

Tex-Mex Salsa

I just posted my first blog entry to Potluck, the ShopRite blog!  Please stop by the blog and check out my first entry!  I'll be writing posts for Potluck throughout 2011, so if you found me through Potluck, welcome!  Like what you see?  Follow the Potluck blog, "Like" My Life On A Plate on Facebook, or follow this blog.