Tag Archives: Sauce

Triadfoodies Holiday Gift Guide

Happy Holidays, foodies! Christmas is my favorite time of year. As we sit here on a mountain still under a mountain of snow (23 inches over the weekend), I am so excited to share my favorite finds from 2018. I was doing a gift guide before it got popular, ha! Or…at least I didn’t realize other bloggers were doing it. This guide of glorious deliciousness is ALL LOCAL and easy to get. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you’ve probably seen many of these items before. These are products I use in my home. I buy them all year. And they are the perfect gift giving items too. It’s NC …right there in your stocking!

You can read the whole story and find out how to win over at YES! Weekly. You’ll need to comment on their Facebook page to win.

Abby’s Better Nut Butter (Date Pecan Butter):

To say that Abby’s Better Date Pecan is a top fave would be an understatement. Abby was 15-years-old when she started making her own nut butter, which turned into a business. Now three years later, you’ll find her nut butters on the shelves of most main grocery stores regionally. Abby’s Better also has a a website where you can purchase nut butter, bars and merchandise to your nutty delight. abbysbetter.com

Y’all Sauce

As seen in YES! Weekly a few weeks back, Y’all was born Baptist in Louisville, KY and moved to Winston-Salem where it’s made with passion. We love Y’all sauce because it really goes with everything. Y’all became a fave when we tried the Come Back sauce in late summer. Then the Jezebel sauce went on the Thanksgiving turkey and man, oh man was that good! Guess what? The winner gets a gift set of all three Y’all Sauces: Henry Bain, Come Back and Jezebel. You can find Y’all Sauce at Southern Home & Kitchen and Canteen Market & Bistro in Winston-Salem. Check out their website, yallsauce.com for retailers or to have it shipped to you.

As Good As It Gets Salsa

I love a good salsa, especially a local one. Andrea Cardwell makes the Triad’s newest salsa by hand, pours it and distributes it…all by hand. This salsa is super fresh tasting with a small chunks of veggies you can see and taste. The black bean and corn salsa is just as good and both types of salsa come in mild, medium, hot. Another flavor…get this…called Butt Burner is available in regular chunky salsa only and is made with jalapenos, habaneros and Carolina Reaper peppers.I tried it and lived! You can find As Good As It Gets at many local Lowes Foods, Colony Urban Farm Store and small grocers. Check out asgoodasitgets-nc.com for a complete list of locations. By the way the winner is getting Medium Salsa and Butt Burner. Two delicious salsas!

Bee Pollen at Colony Urban Farm Store

Bee pollen? You mean you can actually eat that stuff? Why, yes! It’s fruity, floral and nutty. It tastes to me like a honey infused grape nut cereal. It’s superb on smoothies, smoothie bowls and yogurt. It’s suitable for ice cream and even salads and other recipes that might require a touch of street and crunch. The possibilities are endless. Bee Pollen is considered one of nature’s most complex foods as it is a complete protein and is stocked with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids and anti-oxidants. A spoonful before a workout can give you a bit of energy without it being heavy on your stomach. A little goes a long way. This bee pollen is produced locally and is supported by Bee Our Future, a local bee conservation initiative that delivers, installs and maintains beehives for businesses and residences throughout the Triad. Colony Urban Farm Store is located at 492 West End Blvd., Winston-Salem colonyurbanfarm.com

14-Degrees Coffee

Joey Burdette and Terry Miller, owners of Twin City Hive Coffee Lounge in Winston-Salem, have endeared themselves to many with their cozy coffee shop with desserts and confections, pastries and teas. And this fall they launched their very own specially roasted coffee. And coffee great coffee must go on the guide, foodies. You know it’s fresh and wonderful when there’s a roast date on it. Note to yourself: All coffee should have a roast date on it. TCH is located at 301 Brookstown Ave Ste 300, Winston-Salem.

Fainting Goat Spirits Tiny Cat Vodka

A triadfoodies Holiday Gift Guide would not be the same without some local booze. And we think Fainting Goat Spirits Tiny Cat Vodka is the local staple spirit for your bar and your party. Tiny Cat starts with organic grain and finishes clean in your glass. Distiller Andrew Norman is even throwing in a recipe for his famous Slightly ImPEARed Cocktail for you here. Check it out at the end of the list. And get the Cat at ABC stores. faintinggoatspirits.com

Batistini Farms Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cooking and condiments in my kitchen have been elevated to new heights thanks to Batistini Farms olive oils and vinegars. It’s hard to choose a favorite but you pretty much can’t go wrong with their truly impressive and earthy and fruity Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Organic notes. This EVOO is meant to be savored as a condiment, not to be cooked with. A balsamic drizzled into this oil for a salad or even better, to dip your bread in, is not to be outdone. You’ll see why this combo is a staple at renowned restaurants, like Blackberry Farm. We also love Tom and Cindy Sephton’s commitment to bringing quality olive oil and vinegar to the area and so much knowledge along with them. You can find Batistini Farms at Whole Foods, Earth Fare, Wine Merchants & Vin 205 Bistro, just to name a few. Visit b-farms.com for a full list of locations or to order.

Shady Creek Farm Facial Scrubs

You know how sometimes we like to mix it up and throw in something that’s not food? Well, this is one of those times. And our favorite non-food this year is a reusable facial scrub from Dallas, NC. How cute is this?? Use these scrubs to get the grime off your pretty face or put on some toner. When you’re finished you toss them in the wash and let them dry. Reuse for another day and feel great that you’re not adding more trash to the world. Shady Creek Farm also sells “swiffer” type wipes, washcloths, soaps and a whole host of sustainable goodness. Check shadycreekfarmandnursery.com to order or for retailers.

Gorilla Grains

A perennial fave in my house and was featured in 2015 in our original gift guide. We felt the need to bring Alicia Rehburg’s amazing 100% granola back into the lineup. Mainly because since I’ve moved and I’m farther away from easy access to this crunchy goodness….well, let’s just say absence has made the heart and tummy grow fonder. What makes Gorilla Grains stand out is that it is buttery…you can taste the butter. Other granola has oil as their fat, but the Gorilla’s is butter and once you’ve tasted it, you’ll understand. You can find this amazing granola at Musten & Crutchfield, Elon College and various markets or order at gorillagrains.com

Black Mountain Chocolate Fruit Cake

The quintessential reigning alumnus that’s never been off the list and never shall it be, unless they stop baking it. The boozy chocolatey concoction with Broad Branch Distillery’s Night Lab is for adults only and oh so good. Great with wine. Decadent with coffee or tea. Naughty with a bit more bourbon on the side (in a good way). It’s a Black Mountain delight made at 732 NW Trade Street, Winston-Salem. blackmountainchocolate.com

Slightly ImPEARed Created by: Distiller & Mixologist Andrew Norman, Fainting Goat Spirits

1.5 oz Tiny Cat Vodka

.75 oz Winter spiced simple syrup*

.75 oz Fresh lemon juice

2 oz Pear juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker and shake over ice. Strain into a coupe or martini glass.

*To make the winter spiced simple syrup combine 1 cup brown sugar with 1 cup warm water and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add 1 clove, 2 star anise pods, 3 cinnamon sticks, ¾ inch of peeled ginger and sit for 10 minutes. Strain out the solids and keep refrigerated up to a month.

Deck yourself. Deck your friends with these local goodie! Shop local and enjoy.

Y’all Is For Everyone

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You can find the YES! Weekly version of this story here.

Y’all: /yahl/ : Contraction of you and all that some say is not a real word (but we all know that it is).

Y’all is also a sauce. Three to be exact (for now) and it’s made locally in Winston-Salem. Now, y’all foodies know that when I tell you about a new product, I really love it and I use it and I find the story behind the product and its maker interesting enough to bring it to you. And y’all…this sauce is definitely for me and you …because it’s trip to yumtown. And no this is not sponsored. I bought it. I love it. And so will you!

And I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. These sauces are so great that they are definitely a triadfoodies Favorite Thing and will be a part of our Holiday Gift Guide giveaway next month! (link is last year’s guide)

Y’all Sauce Co. started a year ago with the love of the Lord, bourbon, community and food. Josh McGee and Paige Harlow originally met six years ago at church in Kentucky where Josh’s wife was a pastor. “We loved to eat, but hated our jobs and were looking for an awesome way to work together and came up with the idea of doing something with food over the course of drinking some bourbon, which always gives you the best ideas,” Paige joked.

Josh and his wife eventually moved to Winston-Salem so that she could take a pastoral position at First Baptist. Josh comes from a culinary background and says, “I worked in the industry for 15 years, was a sous chef in Charleston, where I cut my culinary chops. I thought, wouldn’t it be great to pair my culinary background and her marketing background.” Around the time of the move, Josh and Paige decided to become business partners and settled on the idea of a sauce company.

But then, what in the world were they going to name their new company?

Josh remembers, “We started with some southern names, a spin on the southern culture…we kicked around all kinds of ideas….Southern Plated is the name of our company, but the name of the sauce? Nothing really rolled off the tongue. We were talking about community and our identity and Paige blurts ‘y’all!’ And that was it.”

Paige says their tag line, Eat Up Y’all is the perfect slogan. “It just made sense because y’all is such an inclusive word. Y’all goes beyond gender, race, religion. We wanted to create a company that included everyone. It’s a divisive time and it’s important to bring people together to the table and have conversation and bridge gaps.”

And in true Baptist tradition, pair it with community and make the conversation happen around food.

The sauce team says the move, the sauce and the city of Winston-Salem are a perfect match. “What we love about Winston-Salem is what Louisville was 10 years ago. The upswing of honing in on local restaurants, local ingredients and all these farmers doing great things. We want to tell the story and heritage of the sauce and how it brings community together.”

For now, there are three sauces telling those stories, with many more stories to come. The first is the iconic Henry Bain, which Paige and Josh both discovered in Kentucky. It’s a bit of a sweet and tangy version of a barbecue sauce, that Josh tweaked and modernized with a hint of bourbon. By the way, Henry Bain was a waiter and created his namesake sauce at the Pendennis Club in 1881. How’s that for a legacy?

The second sauce is the sweet and spicy Jezebel, which Josh says he became obsessed with in his native Tennessee. Jezebel is like apple butter and marmalade meets horseradish, and though no one can really agree where Jezebel sauce comes from, Josh says, “I wanted to make it more East Tennessee with sorghum and Volunteer Orange. And I love that you can use Jezebel in different ways. Back in the day you’d throw it on cream cheese, but now we use it to glaze hams. I like it on fried chicken, salmon and as a finishing sauce on veggies.” I plan on putting Jezebel on my Thanksgiving turkey. Josh tells me it will be “ah-mazing.”

I became a fan of Y’all Sauce when I scooped up the Mississippi Come Back sauce, which is a staple in the deep south and used so many ways including as a burger topping or as a dip for fries or tater tots. It’s like a white barbecue sauce that will have you come back for more, hence the name. My tip, give it a try as the dressing on a warm potato salad. It’s so yummy.

In the south, every sauce has a story and the team wants to tell all of them. Paige says, “The plan going forward is to have a different sauce for each southern state, such as Trinity Sauce for Louisiana and of course a sauce that would be cool for North Carolina.” Whatever will it be? I’m told it may be a bit more than just Eastern BBQ.

She adds, “We’re both history buffs and we love the culture here. The south is a real mix of cultures…we want to tell the story of the different sauces. It’s exciting to keep these stories alive.”

Y’all Sauce is catching on in the area, particularly in Winston-Salem where it can now be found at Southern Home & Kitchen, Canteen Market and Bistro, Washington Perk, City Beverage, Mast General Store and Lowes Foods.

Josh says they plan to be in front of the community as he continues to put down roots here. Josh says, “The community is something so unique to Winston-Salem. It’s a hub for a lot of cool things happening…from the restaurants and the farms to the craft beer scene and wineries. There’s so much great energy here and we want to be on the forefront of that and embrace the localness.”

Look for Josh with the Y’alls at the Angelo’s Artisan Market at Wiseman Brewing in Winston-Salem on November 11 from 12-5pm and at Southern Home & Kitchen with some cooking classes early next year.

If y’all want some enjoyable reading on the stories of the sauces. or if y’all want to find out where to buy or to order online visit them here.

Triadfoodies Gift Guide of Glorious Deliciousness…and YES! Weekly Giveaway

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’Tis the season to be jolly and to support the amazing local artisans that make up the Piedmont Triad. How about avoiding the malls and the centers and instead stroll leisurely at a local market or locally-owned business. You get to avoid the chaos and can feel good about your purchase. Here’s a gift guide for the Holiday 2016. It features some of our most favorite things of the year (and except for the very first one, in no particular order). This gift guide was so good that my food column in YES! Weekly became the COVER this past week. Eeeeeek! So excited. My parents would be so happy to see this journalism degree at work! Ha ha…or should I say, “Ho, ho, ho!”?

Since it’s the season of giving, we’re giving away every single one of these items (and then some). Details about where to purchase and how much are also included. Keep reading for how you can win this amazing basket filled with my favorite things of 2016.

Sabor! By Texas Pete $3-$3.50

If there was a #1 most anticipated, most used again and again item of 2016 in my household, it would have to be Texas Pete’s latest hot sauce. Sabor Mexican Style Hot Sauce is TW Garner’s answer to a basic taco sauce. It’s more rustic and spicy than regular Pete, but not with heat. Think spices spicy. We even did a taste test of Sabor with our beloved Chalula and Sabor won hands down. If you haven’t tried it yet, definitely give it a go. You can find it with other Texas Pete hot sauces in just about every grocery store in our region. texaspete.com
The basket is also filled with some other Texas Pete swag: Texas Pete Hot Sauce, CHA!, coozies, and a cap.

Legendary Sunshine Energy Drink $6.99/case drinkthesunshine.com

I’ve loved Sunshine for a while. It’s my daughter’s favorite afternoon drink of the year. Just enough lift to get her through the rest of the day. The flagship flavor, Ginger Berry is refreshing and not too sweet. And this year, Sunshine introduced two new flavors, Clementine Twist and Blueberry Lemonade. And then those became favorite drinks of 2016 too. You can find it at many local shops, Mast General Store in Winston-Salem and Lowes Foods. Packed with some ginseng and B12, vitamins and other natural ingredients, organic caffeine and low sugar. Someone who claims to be in the know said it’s a great re-hydrator after an evening of consuming too much adult beverages. It’s the sunshine to moonshine, get it? Which brings us to…if you haven’t tried them in a cocktail, you definitely should. And that brings us to our next item in the gift guide….

Covington Sweet Potato Vodka

It wouldn’t be a Triadfoodies gift guide without some NC Spirits, would it? Each bottle of Covington Vodka is made from 20 pounds of sweet potatoes. Based out of Snow Hill in Eastern NC, it is terrifically pleasing and disappears nicely into any mixer you care to pair it with. Mixologist Jordan Keiper of The Tavern in Old Salem, says it stands up to any top shelf vodka in the stores and that it replaced his Grey Goose. We both have so much confidence in this NC spirit, that Keiper created not one, not two but three craft cocktails in the spirit of our gift guide…one with each flavor of sunshine. And the recipes will be included here and in our winning basket.

The basket includes a bottle of Covington but also some coupons…for when you need a refill.

Gnomestead Hollow Farm & Forage Curry Kraut $10 gnomesteadhollow.com

Where do we begin with this unique and fun farm that produces raw, living vegetable ferments and gourmet mushrooms just into the hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains on the other side of Virginia? Nomads, I mean owners, Jenna and Matt, hail from the Pacific Northwest. They are very smart and adorable and know a lot about vegetables and foraging and gnomes. When we say they are crafting small match ferments, we mean it, five to ten gallons at a time. We love this Curry Kraut because it is not as wonky as the sauerkraut you may have grown up with, rather a lovely, light and crunchy middle eastern flavor. It’s so awesome on deviled eggs and Jenna (JJ) and Matt love it on a burger or the versatility of serving it on eggs. I personally love it on a salad with a homemade thousand island dressing. And also on hummus. Gnomestead is much loved by restaurants in Winston-Salem and you’re likely to find it on a number of menus around town. You can meet them at Cobblestone Farmers Market where you can purchase any of their krauts, curtido, mushrooms (fresh and dried) and just get to “gnowe” them a little better. (stole that from their website…go visit it at gnomesteadhollow.com). Gnomestead Hollow products are also found at Let It Grow Produce in WS, Deep Roots Market in GSO, The Blossoming Artichoke and The Only Earth in High Point and Organix Juice Bar in WS.

Niki’s Pickles $10/pint

It seems only logical that we have another jar of pickles in our gift guide and basket. If you’re paying attention to some of our local restaurant owners like, Breakfast Queen Mary Haglund of Mary’s Gourmet Diner or the Keipers at The Tavern in Old Salem, you’ll see they do love some of Niki Farrington’s Pickles, dubbed Niki’s Pickles. Indeed they are crispy and have just the right about of delicious dill to make you pretty happy. You can find Niki’s Pickles at the Cobblestone Farmers’s Market, The Living Room Coffee House and Wine Bar in Pilot Mountain and at Mary’s Gourmet Diner in WS.

The winner of our basket will receive a glorious trio of pickles (cuke, radish, cauliflower) and some hot sauce..because it’s the season of giving and Niki is feeling it.

Fogwood Food Buttered Pecan Syrup $8.49

I first discovered Brenda Sutton’s Fogwood Food Buttered Pecan Syrup at Got To Be NC Competition Dining. It’s like a maple syrup meets pecan praline sauce. It’s delicious on pancakes, waffles, french toast. Great drizzled on biscuits and superb as an ice cream topping. You can do what you want to with it. One of the competition dining chefs made a cheesecake crust with it and it was incredible. Just give it a little stir or warm it up and pour that lovely golden goodness onto something worthy. You can find Fogwood Food products at Lowe’s Foods and markets like Let It Grow Produce in WS.

Not only will the winner get this delicious Buttere Pecan Syrup but the folks at Fogwood wanted our winner to also have their latest baby, Ghost Pepper Jelly, which is totally our jam right now. It’s spectacular paired with a really sharp cheese…for instance a pimento cheese—try it! Dab a little on top of your cracker with the spread of your choice. It rocks on cream cheese too or grilled cheese. And on a chicken biscuit…with cheese. fogwoodfood.com

B & G Pies 895 Northwest Blvd, WS $1-2

Winston-Salem’s own hand-held fried icon. The bakery recently moved their production over to Northwest Blvd. where you can get a fresh pie Monday-Thursday. Otherwise you’ll find these groovy fruity pockets at convenience stores. We love them all but we especially love apple. Someone told us to melt cheddar on it. What?? You try it and tell us if you agree that it is yummy.

B&G is giving our winner one of each flavor: Apple, Cherry, Lemon, Peach and Chocolate.

Black Mountain Chocolate Fruitcake $15, 732 Trade Street, WS blackmountainchocollate.com

Oh hail, the Queen of Fruitcakes. This fruitcake is not that hard weird doorstop with … are they… cherries? She was in our gift guide last year and by gracious we just haven’t been able to get her out of our mind the last 11 months so here we are again. It deserves to be here. And you deserve to win this cake. It has neighbor Branch Distillery’s Night Lab Whiskey in it. It’s as boozy as ever and just as chocolatey. This is an adult fruitcake, ya’ll. Not for the kiddos.

Village Juice Company, 205 South Stratford Road villagejuicecompany.com

Since we can’t fit a smoothie bowl or a grain bowl in our gift basket, we will have to give the next best thing. A gift card to enjoy one of the many healthy options at Village Juice. If a smoothie or a cold-pressed juice is more your speed, by all means just grab and go. But we hope you’ll take a seat and enjoy one of their colorful bowls of goodness, particularly the brussels & bacon grain bowl with quinoa. Eat it and you just knocked your body full of vitamins and superfoods and you’ll be ready to take on the world.
VJC is giving our winner a $15 gift card

Chow Time Taxi chowtimetaxi.com

We love Chow Time because they work with some of our wonderful, locally-owned restaurants and businesses. And they think out of the box and don’t just deliver pizza but they’ll deliver coffee from West End Coffeehouse and your grain bowl from VJC (see above) and a whole bunch of other places too.

The winner of our basket is getting a voucher for one FREE delivery of a future order.

Wanna Win It?

Comment on our YES! Weekly Facebook page on what you’d do with one of these amazing products, gift card and voucher. Look for this post. Your name will be entered in a drawing. The winner will be announced December 19. Winner should be from the local area and be able to pick up the prize package in person. Good luck!

triadfoodies

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Tag Archives: Sauce

Triadfoodies Holiday Gift Guide

Y’all Is For Everyone

Triadfoodies Gift Guide of Glorious Deliciousness…and YES! Weekly Giveaway

Cackalacky Giveaway!

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