Author Archives: 2eat2drink

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About 2eat2drink

Advertising photographer from Rochester, NY

You know you want one…the creamy root beer float!

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What would summer be with out the root beer float? Our boys have been asking for them ever since the weather started to warm up. While they may not be too picky about the quality (yet), Heather and I are always searching for the best ingredients (which are the key to a great drink). We stumbled upon Iron Fireman Root Beer during a visit to Custom Brewcrafters in Honeoye Falls, NY. It’s fabulously deep, creamy and spicy, with hints of wintergreen and anise and a dark foamy head. It paired marvelously with Perry’s Vanilla Bean ice cream to create our summer classic!

The Iron Fireman root beer float!

Who would have thought carrots and cake go together?

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Whoever decided it was a good idea to create carrot cake was a genius! I photographed the Chocolate Peanut Butter Bliss cupcake, but my favorite flavor I was lucky enough to sample (after the kids devoured most of the cupcakes) was the rich and creamy carrot cake. This delightful selection of treats (for the eyes and the palate) came from Dolce Cupcakery in Pittsford….via my sister (who raves about Dolce). We’re going to have to find a chance to get back there soon to try such intriguing flavors as Foxy Lady, French Toast, Granny Apple Spice, Pucker Up, and Mocha Latte….37 flavors in all! (8-10 available fresh daily.) Let me know what your favorite cupcake flavor is…

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bliss!

My niece trying to pick her favorite!

Heavenly clouds of cotton candy

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Quick! Go to your neighborhood fireman’s carnival! We are first night Mendon fireman’s carnival junkies. I suggest you get hooked as well. 🙂 I figured I’d try and entice you with cotton candy and a few funky iPhone pictures. I would have taken pictures of our Italian sausage and fried dough, but they were gone almost before we got them. Hope you enjoy!

Cotton candy trifecta!

Fluffy Circus cotton candy. Mmmmm!

Don't forget a ride on the ferris wheel!

Chef Mark’s dynamite napoleon!

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Chef Mark’s birthday…part 2! So what does a chef want for his birthday dessert? To make his own napoleon! This was fun to watch, so I captured a few steps of the process. The one very important chef’s tip that I learned was to create each pastry dough layer using a whole box of puff pastry. At first this sounded crazy, until Mark explained that you bake a whole box of dough (after unrolling) while compressed between 2 cookie sheets, to keep the dough from rising. Add some pastry cream and  raspberries between each layer, top with powdered sugar, and you have a dessert fit for a chef! (or a short French dictator)

Chef Mark's dynamite napleon!

Chef Mark hard at work, on his birthday!

Chef Mark….cookin’ the birthday food.

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Our good friend Chef Mark recently had his birthday, and we were fortunate enough to host his gathering. So what does a chef want for his birthday meal? To make his own pizza! Chef Russell generously offered to make some of his “secret recipe” pizza dough (thanks Russell!), Chef Mark brought over some delectable toppings, and we were off to start cookin’ the birthday meal! Since the recipe for the dough is top secret, for now I’ll suggest picking up some pre-made dough at the store. Be sure to bake it on a pizza stone for best results. Place the pizza stone in the oven prior to pre-heating, and heat your oven as high as it can go. We had ours at 550 degrees. This will create a pizza with a crisp outside and a nice tender center. Top with whatever your heart (and stomach) desires. For this particular pizza, we created a version of the margherite with tomato sauce, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, olive oil and sea salt. Get creative….make your own masterpiece! Let me know what you come up with…

Chef Mark making his own birthday pizza!

The homemade sourdough margherite pizza. Yum!!

Blimey! That’s a good ale!

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Get out your best British accent for this one! American Craft Beer week ended yesterday, so it’s about blimey time I got this posted. Why did I pick this beer? I just wanted to say blimey as many times as I could! Blimey right. Well, that’s not entirely true. I thought it would be fun to try another local brew, and this was the lucky choice from Three Heads Brewing. I think the British palace guard on the bottle might have knocked back a few of these to feel so peaceful….it’s bloody strong (as I noted near the end of this 22oz. bottle, at 6%). Sorry, I should say…it’s blimey strong! A blimey good ale, if I may say, as well. A slight bit of citrus and malt to start (some caramel in there somewhere too), gave way to a strong finish of hop bitterness. You’ll know you’re drinking it…as you blimey well should! Cheerio!

Three Heads Brewing Blimey - English Style Pale Ale.

"It's blimey good and strong", says our peaceful palace guard.....

A quick bite (and Heather says they’re cute).

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I wanted to make sandwiches for lunch. There was no bread in the house, except for a baguette. Normally, this would make for a fantastic sub-like sandwich, but this loaf was pre-sliced! So, I decided to run with it.  A few thin chunks of gruyere, some turkey, a couple of apple slices, baby spinach and dijon mustard to top it off……voila! Grill them in a sauté pan with some cooking spray, and lunch is soon ready. Mmmm..sandwiches.  Mini, grilled, tasty, (cute), sandwiches….yum!

Sliced baguette sandwiches. YUM! (don't forget the apple!)

What shall we have with our Riesling? Sushi!

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That was the question I asked Heather. We visit many of the Finger Lakes wineries, and during our last trip to Heron Hill we purchased the Dry Riesling. I thought sushi would be perfect (and she agreed)! Light and spicy (with the addition of ginger and wasabi) would pair with the wine nicely. The wine was excellent… as are most Finger Lakes Rieslings. Crisp, light and somewhat sweet for a “dry” (1.8% r.s.), with a nice citrus tone.

At some point, I hope to do a post on making sushi. This, however, we got at the store to go… and passed these giant aloe leaves on the way to the counter. I couldn’t resist. So this is my simple reminder to “present” the food that you serve, since I’m positive that good-looking food tastes better. 🙂

Present your sushi...then eat it!

Heron Hill Dry Riesling.

Just a hunk, a hunk, of burning whipped cream?

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I hope Elvis doesn’t mind me changing the lyrics a little, but I thought it was appropriate for my thoughts on Cream. Vanilla-flavored, alcohol-infused whipped cream, that is. Looks like whipped cream, but after that 1/4 second initial hint of sweet you get the wham, bam…wow, that’s got a burn! I may be exaggerating a little, but at 30 proof it’s like mixing a watered down shot of vodka in with your whipped cream; A very unexpected, but interesting combo. The vanilla flavor (which was fairly subtle) was one choice, along with Cherry, Orange, Raspberry, Chocolate, and Caramel. We decided to try it with mango, as you might with plain ordinary whipped cream. It worked well, but I am positive that it would make a better addition to a drink. So, I’ll offer this up for now, and go work on a drink recipe with the rest of the can. Happy Friday….Wish me luck!

Cream. Vanilla alcohol infused whipped cream. With a kick! (very cool packaging)

Vanilla Cream over mango.

A fun red and a fungi makes a great meal.

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It was suggested to us to try the 2006 Atwater Cabernet Franc with grilled portobello mushrooms. So…we did!

I find  portobellos to be a light, healthy, yet extremely flavorful, substitute for beef. They only take a few  minutes for each side on the grill….coated lightly in olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill a few small peppers at the same time. Slice them on a platter when done and throw on some blue cheese, letting it melt. Plate over a bed of arugula blend and thinly sliced red onion. Top with balsamic vinaigrette and you have a satisfying, healthy meal.

New York State doesn’t get a whole lot of credit for its red wines. The Atwater Cabernet Franc is one of the best ones I have had, so I think we’ll have to explore a few more. We thought the wine would pair well with almost anything grilled (including our mushrooms), not to mention the strong, earthy cheese. Its light tannins, blend of red fruit flavors, and slight earthiness made it very drinkable and a food-friendly wine.

It was a fabulous treat all around, and a great selection for a nice warm spring evening.

2006 Atwater Cabernet Franc.

Grilled portobello mushrooms over arugula blend. (click for bigger fungi)