Friday Foodstuffs 11.27.09: Fondue For Thanksgiving

Our son got sick.

Our plans fell through.

We had fondue for Thanksgiving at home instead.

You probably want some further details, I imagine.

Well, the plan was to make the trip down to Millville to enjoy Turkey Day with family on my mother's side. It's a big gathering, usually between 20 and 30 people. There have also been a few births in the last couple of years, including our little girlie girl last Thanksgiving, so it just keeps getting bigger.

But then, fever set in on our son, and by Wednesday was out of commission. Lisa and I had to make major adjustments for Thanksgiving, mainly that we were now having to cook our meal. Luckily, we already had a fun meal planned for another time, and we just moved it up to Turkey Day.

And it had nothing to do with turkey.

Fondue.

Unfortunately, our son was still not feeling well enough to even make it to the table to enjoy it. So it was just Mommy and Daddy partaking of the cheesy goodness, along with a bottle of Flying Fish's Exit 1 - a lovely oyster stout.

Not quite a Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving, but grateful nonetheless to be with my family. Watching the parade. Playing with our daughter. Giving our son some TLC. A Mythbusters marathon. While the turkey and stuffing are all part of the tradition of Thanksgiving, one doesn't need turkey and stuffing to experience the joy of Thanksgiving.


The big food event for this weekend is the Holiday Wine Trail Weekend taking place at pretty much every winery in South Jersey. Check out the Garden State Wine Growers website for more information.


Kitchen Kapers has the classroom pretty much all to themselves this weekend. Tomorrow is Gingerbread House Decorating and Sunday has the kids handling a Thanksgiving Wrap-Up and a Cupcake Decorating Workshop. On Monday, it's the first part of a two-part series on Italian Christmas Eve: Seven Dishes of Fish.

New lists of For Your Dining Pleasure and Cook Learn Eat! for December will be coming up in the next few days. Lots of holiday celebrations will be included!



Blogging Out Hunger

We're now into the giving part of the year, so it makes sense that there will many more stories about those helping out. There are also more people who need the help these days.

A church in Millville sees an increase in the number of people sitting down for their Thanksgiving dinner.

The Berkeley Soccer Association helped 42 families have a better Thanksgiving.

In Woodbine, a struggle to help the poor at Thanksgiving.

A number of organizations around Salem County are helping out.

A food pantry in Commercial Township tries to help in more ways than just food.

A new food pantry is opening in Burlington Township, while a soup kitchen in Pennsville closes.

Mill Race Village in Mount Holly will be having art workshops on Saturday to help raise fund to help those who are hungry.



And in the news this week...

Looks like New Jersey might be next in requiring certain restaurant chains to have calorie counts on their menus.

And last week's pier fire in Atlantic City may have started in a pizza joint.

Enjoy your holiday weekend!

- John

Festivals of Food - Holidays 2009

Comments and Graphics - Happy Holidays Layouts - Photobucket

The list might look kind of small, but that's due to the fact that I will have holiday dining events listed with the December edition of For Your Dining Pleasure and holiday-themed cooking classes and demos listed with December's Cook Learn Eat! post. - John

UPDATED 11/26/09!

11/27-29 - Holiday Wine Trail Weekend
Enjoy some fine local wines, and maybe do some holiday shopping as well
Participating wineries throughout South Jersey.
Admission: varies by location.

11/29 - Iron Cupcake Challenge
The November edition of this monthly contest for charity
Swanky Bubbles - 482 Evesham Road, Cherry Hill.
5PM. Admission: free ($15 to enter challenge).

12/3 - Wine Tasting & Silent Auction
100 wines along with hors d'oeuvres and desserts
Centerton Country Club - 1022 Almond Road, Pittsgrove. 856.696.3627.
6:30PM. Admission: $50.

12/4 - Harvest of Spirits Wine Tasting
If you ever thought church should be more, erm, bistro-like...
Trinity Episcopal Church - 8th and Wood Streets, Vineland. 856.691.1589.
7PM to 10PM. Admission: $30.

12/5 - Cookie Walk and Gifts Event
As long as the cookies walk into my mouth
Price Hall - Academy and Seashore Roads, Cold Spring. 609.884.8051.
9AM to 1PM. Admission: free.

12/5 - Holiday Cookie Swap
Bring your cookies and your cookie recipes
Atlantic County Library System / Mays Landing - 40 Farragut Avenue, Mays Landing. 609.625.2776.
2PM to 4PM. Admission: free.

12/5 - Homemade Cookie Exchange
Seems to be a great day for cookies
Bethesda Church - 1433 Kings Highway, Swedesboro. 856.467.0111.
2PM to 4PM. Admission: free (call to register).

12/5 - Annual Oyster Dinner
Or, a great day for oysters
Lavallette Fire Company - 125 Washington Avenue, Lavallette. 732.793.6900.
4PM to 8PM. Admission: $14 ($7 for kids under 12).

12/6 - Lucia and Scandinavian Fest
Enjoy the Scandinavian market
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church - Poplar and Atlantic Avenues, Wildwood.
2PM. Admission: free.

12/7 - Great Cookie Exchange
Another cookie event? Absolutely!
Cape May City Elementary School - 941 Lafayette Street, Cape May. 609.884.7525.
6PM to 8PM. Admission: free.

12/12 - Christkindlmarkt
Mulled cider, roasted chestnuts and a wine tasting from Valenzano
Tuckerton Seaport - 120 West Main Street, Tuckerton. 609.296.8868.
10AM to 4PM. Admission:

Holiday Gift Certificate Discounts for Restaurants Around South Jersey

Are you like me?

Did you wish that radio stations could refrain from playing Christmas music until, say, the day after Thanksgiving - known to many as Black Friday, and known to me as Stay The Hecks Out of Stores Day?

Listen, I love Christmas. I also love Thanksgiving, which is why I don't like the fact that it gets run over by the Christmas frenzy. From the day after Turkey Day until New Year's Eve, you can bash me over the head with holiday tunes and commercials. I'm cool with that. But let's let Thanksgiving breathe a bit, 'kay?

(steps off soapbox)

Now then, having said all that, I have been receiving a number of special holiday deals from local restaurants offering discounts on gift certificates. If the mall scene is not for you, and you want to take care of some foodies friends and relatives this season, these may be well worth your while. As more come to my attention, I will try to post them for you.

The discount offers seem to be falling into two camps: a straight percentage discount, or extra free gift certificates if you purchase a certain amount.

Under the discounted gift certificates, we have:

DiPaolo's Italian Ristorante in Penns Grove is offering a 10% discount on all gift cards from now until 12/24.

JG Cook's restaurants (The Riverview Inn in Pennsville, The Telford Inn in Mantua, and Carolina Blue in Pitman) are also offering 10% off gift certificates until 11/25, which is tomorrow!

For extra free gift certificates, we have:

The Pop Shop in Collingswood is offering an extra $10 gift certificate is you purchase $40 in gift certificates, an extra $20 for an $80 purchase, and an extra $30 for a purchase of $120.

The Tortilla Press in Collingswood is offering an extra $10 gift certificate for every $20 in gift certificates you purchase.

And, a number of SJ Hot Chefs restaurants are giving you an extra $10 for every $50 in gift certificates you purchase.

And now, back to avoiding the holiday music on the radio until Friday...

- John