I’m so happy to be home where I can get and make good food. We had some horrible meals in Orlando. We stayed in a condo with a small kitchen, but the cookware that was provided was incredibly cheap and the stove was electric and I burned several things. It seemed like if I turned the heat up high enough to cook, the cookware would scorch. So we ate out more than we had planned.

We took the train down, and I loved that (except for, not surprisingly, the food on the train). I had 20 hours to decompress after trying to get two weeks worth of work done in one week. There was room to move around. The boys got all their school work done that their teachers gave them. I watched a few movies on the iPad. The family that sat behind us had kids our boys’ ages, and one day two of the train trip they were all hanging out together. There was no wifi, but I was able to take some time and empty my inbox of emails. Do you know how freeing it feels to go on vacation with a totally empty inbox?

Now that we’re home, I have a week and a half to prepare for Thanksgiving! I’m hosting it, and there’s a lot of work to be done. I love Thanksgiving, so the work will be enjoyable. One of the things I’ll be adding this year to the Thanksgiving menu will be Butterbeer. We’re going to try one of the recipes online that recreates the drink from the Harry Potter books. We enjoyed the Butterbeer at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios (that was one of our favorite parts of the whole trip), and we thought it would be fun to have at Thanksgiving – perhaps adding a little butterscotch schnapps for the grownups.

I’m going to try (try) to do a little each day, starting with my sweet potato casserole tomorrow. I have some sweet potatoes I bought a couple of weeks ago at the farmers market, and I’ll cook them and mash them then freeze them. Then, the day before Thanksgiving, I’ll defrost them and use them for the casserole.

What prep work do you do at least a week before Thanksgiving to help make the work on Thanksgiving day a little lighter?

On Saturday, I stopped by The Reading Terminal Market after an awesome Philly Area Food & Drink Writers Meetup planned by Wendy from La Phemme Phoodie and Philly Homegrown (more about that later this week). I was looking for local cheese. I first went to Salumeria. When I was there about a year ago, they had several local cheeses highlighted on their chalkboard. As I scanned the cases, I didn’t see a single New Jersey or Pennsylvania cheese this time. When I asked, I was told that they had decided that the local cheeses they had carried weren’t of very good quality and they were too expensive. Okay, then.

I moved on and headed to the Fair Food Farmstand where I knew I’d find some local choices. I picked out a small wedge of Clover Creek Creamery‘s Tussey Mountain cheese. Clover Creek is in Williamsport, PA, and they produce and sell Grass-based raw milk, Artisan raw milk cheeses, and grass-based beef.

Look at that beautiful cheese pictured above. It’s as delicious as it looks. The Clover Creek website describes it as a their “twist on an Emmenthaler Swiss.” They named it “in honor of the large mountain we see in front of our farm every day. It is drier and saltier than some of our other cheeses but lacks the traditional Swiss holes or ‘eyes’. For a blind* cheese, it has a great buttery Swiss flavor.”

Creamy, tangy and sharp!

I tasted the cheese before I checked out the description on their website. Swiss was not the first thing that came to my mind. It was lacking the overt nuttiness that many Swiss cheeses have. I actually wasn’t sure what to compare this to. Despite the dry, crumbly texture, it had a creaminess to it in the mouth. The smell was sharp, bordering ever-so-slightly on the stinky cheese side, but just slightly. I immediately wanted to put it on a burger, which I did not get to do, but I saved a bit to try on a burger later this week.

I tried the Tussey Mountain cheese with a few sips from a bottle of Cabernet Franc I had open. A very nice pairing. It wasn’t a NJ Cab Franc, but a Virginia one that I had opened the night before. There are many excellent NJ Cabernet Francs, and I can imagine this would go nicely with Sharrott’s Cabernet Franc or even Unionville’s Big ‘O’ that’s a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. I’m also thinking that DiMatteo‘s Merlot would be a good choice with this cheese.

I’m happy to have discovered this cheese, and I hope next time I’m at Reading Terminal Market they’ll still have it so I can pick up a larger wedge. I’m a little concerned that I’m not going to be able to let what’s left in the fridge stay there until burgers this weekend.

If you want to try this Tussey Mountain, check out this list of stores that carry it. There aren’t any in NJ, but there a few in Philly.

*”Blind” is the term given to a Swiss cheese without holes or “eyes.”

Yesterday, Alli from All I Eat Food and I went to the Moorestown Kitchen Kapers to meet Emeril Lagasse and have him sign copies of his latest cookbook, Sizzling Skillets and Other One Pot Wonders. I’m looking forward to delving into some of the recipes. It looks like a great fall/winter cookbook.

As usual, I’m glad it’s Friday. I’m looking forward to the farmers market tomorrow, and we’ll be having dinner with friends at the fabulous Tortilla Press Cantina tomorrow night. There’s lots going on this weekend if you’re looking for something to do.

• The 28th Annual Chatsworth Cranberry Festival is Saturday and Sunday, the 15th & 16th from 9am to 4pm. The Cranberry Festival is a celebration of New Jersey’s cranberry harvest, the 3rd largest in the United States, and offers a tribute to the Pine Barrens & Local Culture.
• Cooper River Park in Pennsauken will be the site of the 2011 Columbus Italian Cultural Festa. They’ll be food, games and wines from Hamonton’s Plagido’s Winery.
• It’s a bit of a hike up to Morristown, but if you have the whole day Saturday or Sunday free, it will be worth it for the Grand Harvest Wine Festival that features twenty NJ wineries offering nearly 250 locally-produced wines, food, crafts vendors, live bands and the opportunity to experience one of New Jersey’s significant historic farms.
• Hop the Patco from New Jersey and head into Philly for the Reading Terminal Market Harvest Festival tomorrow. They’ll be hayrides, live bluegrass, a pie eating contest, and of course, lots of food.
• If you’ve ever thought about starting your own food blog or have but you’re not sure what direction to take it in, there’s a food writing/blogging workshop being held tomorrow at Indie Hall in Philly. Tenaya Darlington (Madame Fromage) and Marisa McClellan (Food in Jars), both engaging food writers, will instruct. It starts at 10am, so if you’re interested click on the link and snag your tickets to the class now.
• If you’re looking to get out of town for a bit, check out the regional harvest festivals that Visit Philly has information about.
• This is perfect for American Cheese Month. On Thursday, October 20th, they’ll be the  Tasting and Tales of Farmstead Cheese. The head cheesemaker from Cherry Grove Farm will be on hand for an evening of conversation and a tasting of his farmstead artisan cheeses at Whole Earth Center in Princeton. Free, pre-registration requested.

Enjoy your weekend!

• The Jazz It Up Wine Festival is this weekend at Allstaire State Park in Farmingdale. Saturday and Sunday Sept. 3 and 4, from noon to 5 p.m. 25 New Jersey Wineries will have tasting tents, there will be food, and of course, jazz.
• Congratulations to The Collingswood Farmers Market for coming in first in the state in Americas Favorite Farmers Market contest. It’s my favorite farmers market in the region, and I think it deserves it’s first place status!
• Sustainable Cherry Hill kicks off the fall schedule with Green Drinks at PJ Wheelinhans in Cherry Hill on September 7. Check out their full fall calendar of events on their website.
• The Cape May Forum will host a ten-day event titled “Guess What’s Coming for Dinner? The Politics of Food in the 21st Century.”
• Head to the mushroom capital of the world the weekend of September 9-11 for the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival. They’re going to have mushroom ice cream!
• Join Chef Mark from Tortilla Press at Duffield’s Farm on September 17 for Fiesta on the Farm. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Camden Children’s Garden.

I’m off to enjoy my weekend! I hope you do the same.

The new studio space at 110 Trenton Ave in Barrington has three classrooms.

• The main room will hold Drama Classes , Visual Arts Workshops , Creative Dance , Yoga, monthly Open Mic Nites, and various and  creative events.
• The second room offers a  more peaceful space for  private Vocal and Piano lessons.
• The third room houses the Music Department, which is run by guitarist Mike Scarpato. It’s a sound proof studio for instrumental classes such as drums, guitar and bass, and it lends itself  to bands  for rental-rehearsal space equipped with instruments , amps, and a p.a. system.

Class and lesson costs have been designed competitively to make it affordable for every family (and there is a scholarship program). The instructors  are seasoned, experienced individuals who live and work in the arts professions, not just educated in them.

The fall semester schedule for LNT is now up, and the studio is offering group classes in voice, drama, sketch comedy, movement, dance and Shakespeare for Kids, as well as scheduling individual music lessons.

To enroll, contact LNT or visit the studio on the following dates for in person registration.

• August 25th from 6:00 t0 8:30 (that’s tonight!)
• August 29th from 6:00 to 8:30
• August 30th  from 6:00 to 8:30

A scene from Lucky Nickel Theater's "Dolly for Sue," an original production written by LNT's owner/artistic director Nicole DeRosa Lukaitis.

I know that in my community of Barrington, Lucky Nickel Theater has created a place for kids who aren’t interested in sports* to shine and discover their artistic talents under professional and nurturing care. Now that the theater has a permanent home, its a great opportunity for kids and adults from the surrounding communities to join the dramatic/musical/artistic revival that’s happening here in Barrington.

* I don’t want to give you the impression that kids involved in sports don’t have a place at LNT. My 9-year-old has done three of their stage productions and taken group classes, and he’s also involved in baseball and soccer. But, I have recognized that in many of the smaller South Jersey communities, if you don’t do sports, there isn’t much else offered outside of school. LNT is filling that gap wonderfully.

Okay, on to this week’s odds and ends.

• Friend and fellow food writer (and the brains behind Beer for Babes) Tara Nurin had her first piece published in The Philadelphia Inquirer this week. First of all – congratulations Tara! Secondly, you’ll want to read her piece about a Farmers Market on Wheels in Camden. Camden residents have access to fresh food and needle exchanges all in the same place.
• Another interesting piece from The Philadelphia Inquirer this week is about David Siller who forages for food in Philadelphia to sell for restaurants.
• Farm Fresh Collingswood Week starts July 18, but one of Collingswood’s fine Italian eateries is getting an early jump on things. Field to Nunzio’s Table starts July 10 and runs through July 15. So you’ve got two weeks for farm to table fare in fabulous Collingswood.
• Chef Mark Smith next Jersey Fresh Cooking class will be on July 21st at the Tortilla Press Cantina by the Cherry Hill Mall. He’ll be using only Jersey Fresh produce at the class and students get to taste everything that’s created.
• On the winery shipping front, UncorkNJ has been extremely busy this week informing the supporters of fair shipping in New Jersey about what’s going on. If you haven’t signed up for regular updates from UncorkNJ, yet, you should. They pointed to lots of favorable newspaper articles and editorials written this past week. I still don’t understand why this hasn’t become a national news story, yet, though. There are 11 other states that don’t allow direct shipping either. What happens in NJ could eventually happen to them. It’s not just a NJ issue.
• Wegmans is offering a $1 coupon on fresh produce this week. They’re a big supporter of local farmers and it’s easy to find the local produce that’s well marked .
• Over at Mother Nature Network, I’m asking how people organize their recipes. I’ve gotten some useful responses so far. If you have a successful method – whether it’s manual or digital – pop over and add your method to the comments, please.

Recipes I came across this week that I want to try:

Shredded Zucchini and Parmesan Flatbread - There’s lots of in season produce piled on this – zucchini, tomatoes, bell pepper, onions – that you can bake in the oven or put on the grill. You can use pizza dough, but I’ll probably use this on Naan. My freezer is full of it because I ran across a 50% off sale on packaged Naan at a local store. It was one of those specials where the product was close to the sell by date so they were trying to get rid of it. Love those sales.

Enjoy your weekend! I’m certainly looking forward to min.

And if I feel this beat up, I can’t imagine how the owners of NJ’s wineries and their employees feel after this week. It seems their fate will now be left up to a federal judge sometime later this summer. From what I understand, the New Jersey attorney general’s office will be representing the state in the case. What the attorney general will ask to be done is not known, at least that I know of. As more information becomes available, I’ll pass it along. If there is more letter writing or phone calling to be done, I’ll let you know to whom.

Until then, the best way to show your support to NJ wineries is to get out there and visit the wineries and tasting rooms and buy their wine. Buy it directly from the wineries. Buy it from liquor stores when you see it there. Buy it at the wine festivals. And buy it whenever you see it at a restaurant.

To that end, today’s odds and ends are going to be largely dedicated to our wineries, with a few other points of interest thrown in.

• Philly Dealyo has a deal right now that runs for about the next four days for 2 for 1 Winery Tour Tickets at The Cape May Winery. For $20, two people will enjoy a 1 1/2 hour educational tour, wine tasting (some from the barrel), and a wine and cheese tray. For my impression of the winery, see my review of my tour of The Cape May Winery.
• At Sharrott Winery this weekend, you can enjoy their latest creations, Summer Sangria and Just Peachy Sangria. Saturday join them for live music on the patio from 5-8 pm. Sunday they will have Alex’s Lemonade Stand on site and donate $1 for every bottle of Sangria sold.
• Here’s a way you can really throw some financial support at one of our wineries. Alba Vineyard will hold its Summerfest/Fireworks on July 23, and you and 24 friends can enjoy a private tent (with private restroom) with Alba wines for $1800. I’m assuming the tent has spectacular views. While that sounds like a lot of money (and it is), it works out to only $72/person if you have 25 people. It may be worth looking into if you have some special event to celebrate or just some money to blow.
• Auburn Vineyard & Winery will have it’s regular What’s for Dinner Friday night tonight with Chicken Francese with Asparagus tips and mushrooms, Penne Toscana (a medly of fresh Italian vegetables tossed in a creamy Parmigiano sauce), fresh broccoli and cauliflower with garlic & olive oil, fresh peas with pearl onions and sliced mushrooms. Served with romaine caesar salad, garlic ciabatta rolls and bruschetta. Tiramisu or Gilda’s Biscotti for dessert.
• The Garden State Wine Growers Association‘s Barrel Tasting Wine Trail Weekend will be July 16 & 17. They invite you to come “taste the future” at participating wineries. They have some, but not all, of the wineries and what they will be tasting on their website.
• The Pour House in Westmont will hold its Third Annual Pour-a-Palooza with 30+ craft breweries, live music and food on July 16.
• Our good friends John and Lisa from Eating in South Jersey have the dates and places for upcoming beer samplings of East Coast Beer Company’s Beach Haus beer. The brewery in Point Pleasant has created this American Pilsner that celebrates the New Jersey shore.
• Philly Homegrown has information on Albert Yee’s new photography show, “Hands That Feed Us” that’s being held at a gallery in Fishtown. The kickoff reception is tonight. This show will features photographs of local farms, farmers, dairies and cheesemakers, and is a must-see for anyone who wants to expand their understanding of just where the food we eat comes from.

Recipes I came upon this week that I want to try

Garlic Knots – The pool we belong to has a full fledged pizzeria for a snack bar. It’s awesome. And they sell garlic knots for 6/$1. Sometimes they’re fresh and warm and soft and amazingly dripping with garlic butter. Sometimes, they’re a little hard and cold in the center and more greasy than dripping with butter. I guess it all depends on how long ago they were made. Anyway, I found this recipe for homemade garlic knots, and I need to give it a try at home.

Enjoy your long weekend! Happy 4th of July!

• If you shop at Wegmans (it’s my favorite grocery store), follow @WegmansLocal on Twitter. The store is tweeting about the local produce that’s coming into its stores. It’s not just for the New Jersey stores, though, so you might have to weed through the tweets to find SJ specific info.
• Hammonton, the blueberry capital of the world, will host its Red, White, and Blueberry Festival this Sunday, June 26 from 10am-5pm.
• High Street Grill in Mount Holly will host a Fresh From the Farm three-course prix-fixe dinner from 7/8-7/10.
• You’ll want to check out this poem that paints a beautiful picture of farms in the Pine Barrens by Carolyn Foote Edelmann featured on NJ WILD.
• Mark your calendar for South Jersey Hot Chef’s Farm to Fork Week. From July 17-23, many of our wonderful restaurants will have prix-fixe dinners at great prices featuring foods from local producers.

Recipes I came across this week that I want to try:

• Grilled Maple Brined Pork Chops – Chef Dennis of the local blog More Than A Mount Full created this recipe to solve the problem of boneless pork chops drying out on the grill. I’m going to give it a try because I’ve never done a good pork chop on the grill and believe it or not, I’ve never brined anything. This seems like a good introduction to brining something, instead of say an entire turkey.
• Halibut with Carrot and Leeks – While searching for a side dish to use up the carrots and leeks in my crisper, I came across this. Of course, it’s not a side dish so I didn’t use it, but it looks like a future meal to me.

Date nights seem to be fewer and farther between for Brian and me lately, but we did manage to get out two weeks ago on a Sunday evening. We decided we’d head down to Pitman to Carolina Blue. I’d been there once before for a Stoudts Brewery tasting dinner sponsored by Beer for Babes, and I knew it would be the kind of place Brian would like.

Sitting across the table from Brian, having an uninterrupted conversation, is such a treat that I forgot to take photos of the food. A good thing for date night, not so good for blogging. I’m thinking I was right to put date night first, though.

We had the option of sitting in the more formal dining room, the casual bar, or the outside deck with a live band. Since we wanted to talk, we ruled out the deck and chose to sit in the bar. It was a little loud, but not too loud that we couldn’t carry on our conversation.

I was impressed that Carolina Blue has local wine on their permanent menu. I’ve never seen that at any of our independent restaurants before. They offer three different varietals from Heritage Vineyards in Mullica Hill. I didn’t even check out the rest of the wines on the menu. If there’s a local choice, I’m going to order it. I chose Heritage’s Syrah, and I chose wisely.

We started with the crab fritters. When we realized there were only three small fritters to an order, we ended up choosing a second appetizer, the New Orleans Shrimp Dip. I would recommend the crab fritters (though perhaps two orders). They were flavorful and the crab stood out.

For dinner, I ordered the Bistro Filet sandwich from the carvery menu. We need to talk a little bit about Carolina’s Blue unique smokehouse. They smoke right on site, and they smoke using peach wood they get from Heritage Vineyards. It gives all their smoked meat a pleasant sweetness that’s unlike other smoked meat you’ve probably tasted. Very good.

Are you aware that one of the rules of thumb for pairing food and wine is to pair foods & wines from the same region?  They usually go well together. Now, imagine pairing beef that’s been smoked with wood that’s been grown on the same exact farm that grew the grapes for the red wine you’re drinking. It’s a seamless pairing. Absolutely wonderful.

The sandwich was topped with a blue cheese sauce and arugula. I’m a sucker for beef and blue cheese anything, but pair them with the right wine, and I’m likely to make a few inappropriate noises while eating.

Brian ordered a half rack of the smoked ribs (not as good as my ribs, he said, but still good), and a side of asparagus that he’d been jonesing for. Sadly, I do not like asparagus and I never prepare it at home (bad locavore, I know).

I unapologetically always order creme brulee if it’s on the menu for dessert, as long as it’s vanilla creme brulee. It’s one dessert that I believe should never be adulterated. I’m happy to say that Carolina Blue does creme brulee right. Not only was the flavor good, but they do it in a shallow, larger circumfrenced ramekin as opposed to the deeper, lesser circumfrenced ramekin. This increases the crispy brulee portion of the dessert and allows for the proper ratio of brulee to creme.

Our service was great. The waitress, Nicole, was attentive but not hovering. Our  courses didn’t all come out on top of each other, and we felt comfortable the entire evening.

Carolina Blue’s website says their “dishes are prepared with Jersey Fresh vegetables and ingredients whenever possible.” In addition to the wine from South Jersey on the menu, they also have several regional brews on the menu, including some from Cherry Hill’s Flying Fish. Add the local peach wood, and this restaurant is definitely on my list of local producer supporters.

Have you visited Carolina Blue? What was your favorite dish on their menu?

It’s time again to vote for your favorite South Jersey farmers market in American Farmland Trusts America’s Favorite Farmers Markets annual poll. I just voted. Winners in the four size categories will get “No Farms, No Food” tote bags to distribute to market shoppers, a feature article on Epicurious, and various prizes from contest sponsors. Voting will run through August 31, 2011. While there’s still plenty of time to vote, I suggest you go vote right now so you don’t forget to let your favorite farmers market know how much you love that it exists.