Ramen Yokocho Fest 2014 was HOT

Ramen Yokocho Fest is largest ramen show in the US. It took place on March 29-30 2014 at the Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, CA.  The 2013 events welcomed over 30,000 people in Los Angeles and over 15,000 people in Las Vegas. This year’s festival featured exclusive menus from 14 popular Ramen shops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Jose, San Diego, and Japan. Ramen bowls were $8 per bowl plus $5 admission to Santa Anita Park and $4 parking.

Let’s take a look at what we tried:

I wanted to see what the Ramen Burger craze was about. Fujin offered the Tonkotsu Spicy Miso Ramen Burger. It was described as “fresh vegetables and a beef patty dressed in spicy miso sauce sandwiched between buns made with tonkotsu-flavored chewy noodles”. The line was long so we decided to stand in that one first. As I got to the front of the line, they ran out of burger patties so we had to wait until more were put on the flat top grill. When I finally got one, it was already falling apart. The ramen noodles were unraveling and it was very hard to eat. I noticed that it was only slightly browned on the outside and not the inside (maybe they forgot to flip it, browning both sides would keep the ramen noodles together). The noodles were also very bland and the burger patty was obviously frozen and preformed. The sauce wasn’t spicy and didn’t really help the flavor of the burger at all. Being my first time trying this “craze”, I was not impressed.

 To read more and see slideshow, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/review/ramen-yokocho-fest-2014-was-hot

Product Review: Cookie Chips

Since the age of 12, Chef Joanne Adirim has been passionate about baking. She set out on a mission 20 years ago to create the most scrumptious desserts. Using her artisan flare, she took her gourmet desserts to restaurants, hotels, and grocery stores. Her journey has led her brand, HannahMax Baking, to nationwide coverage. They use only the best ingredients such as milled cane sugar, pure creamery butter, real eggs, fine chocolates, and pure bourbon vanilla. HannahMax Baking products are free of artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, trans fat, or GMOs.

HannahMax Baking makes a product line called Cookie Chips. The tagline, ”Tastes like a Cookie, Eats like a Chip”, is definitely what you will experience. With a 5 cookie serving and only packing 120 calories per serving, you can definitely eat what you like and not feel guilty. Let’s take a look at the flavors:

Original Cookie Chips are pure brown sugar goodness. Butter, sweetness, and homemade flavors round out this cookie. These were reminiscent of butter cookies or cookie dough ice cream. These would pair well with tea and coffee. Thumbs up!

 To read more and see slideshow, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/review/product-review-cookie-chips

Recipe review from Learning at Home by Rhonda Cratty

Learning at Home is a parent resource that is chocked full of ideas to help children become the best they can be; ideas for helping your child enhance their skills in reading, math, writing, science and more. Daily fun activities make rudimentary subjects seem more than just pencil and paper and provide them with skills for everyday life. There are 48 (four per month) educational learning ideas that can be enjoyed anytime, everyday within the comfort of your own family whether around the Thanksgiving table, in the backyard, or on vacation. The book also includes lists of family friendly books for all subjects, recipes, and games to extend learning.

 

I tried the Santa Cocoa recipe which is very simple and contains cocoa, sugar, hot water, milk, marshmallows, green sprinkles, and peppermint candy. The only two things I did differently were using small marshmallows and smashed peppermint candy rounds to set off the green sprinkles. The cocoa had strong chocolate, marshmallow, and mint aromatics. The flavor was chocolaty with mint on the back of the palate. From a child’s perspective, I would add a little more cocoa powder and top with whipped cream. I would also pair it with shortbread cookies, cake, or brownies. I had two children try this recipe and they loved it!

Rhonda Cratty has 30 years of experience as a public school teacher, raising children of her own, and writing articles for on-line and hard copy publications within the pages of Learning at Home.

For more information:

Learning at Home by Rhonda Cratty

Purchase your Kindle Edition today! 

Review: The Farm Winery, Paso Robles, CA

The dream started years ago when friends, Santiago & Mercedes Achaval from Argentina and Jim and Azmina Madsen from San Diego, met at a B&B in Paso Robles, CA in the 1980s. Santiago was smitten by the wine bug and decided, “Someday I am going to make wine!” With no formal training Santiago decided to start making wine and is now a renowned winemaker. After the last of their children flew the coup, Jim and Az had an empty nest. Restless, they returned to the B&B for a visit. It sparked the wine bug for Madsens. They made a call to their dear friend, Santiago, and in 2009, The Farm Winery became a reality. The Farm Winery is now on its fifth season of winemaking. The vineyards are located in the Adelaida District in Westside Paso Robles, with windy roads, massive oak trees with busy woodpeckers, free roaming cows, deer and turkey grazing, and more wildlife and landscape to mystify your inner being.

The Big Game celebrates the rivalry between the Rhone and Bordeaux regions. The grapes used are Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Syrah. It’s layered, complex, and mouth-filling. There is truly a flavor in it for everyone. Tasting notes: sweet cherry and very light oak aromatics; Black currant, blackberry, oak, mint, and dark cherry flavors experienced along whole palate. Food pairings: Veal a la Madsen (recipe to follow), grilled lamb, and T-bone steak. Thumbs up!

 

To read more and see slideshow, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/review/review-the-farm-winery-paso-robles-ca