Monday, November 29, 2010

Nasoya® Wrappy Hour!

It's almost time for my Nayosa® Wrappy Hour Party! I had to move the date from the 4th to the 5th to accommodate my guests. But the party is on! I just received my party box today. I can't believe how generous they were with the supplies! Just look at all my stuff!

The box included the following:

~ Recipe booklets
~ A bottle of Honey Ginger Soy Sauce
~ A jar of Marinara sauce
~ Dough presses
~ Wrappy Hour napkins and aprons
~ 6 cute bamboo appetizer plates
~ 12 coupons for free Nasoya products
~ PLUS a $25 AMEX gift card for other supplies!

Thanks Nasoya®!  I'm sure that we will have a great party! In the meantime, here is the recipe for the Hazelnut-Choc Wontons that I am planning on making.


  • 16 Nasoya® wonton wraps (you can use raviolis or egg roll too!)
  • 1 egg, beaten to blend
  • 1 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (I LOVE Nutella)
  • Vegetable oil, for frying
  • Nonstick vegetable oil spray
  • Powdered sugar, for dusting
Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Place 1 wonton wrapper on the work surface. Brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with egg. Spoon 1 tablespoon of chocolate-hazelnut spread into the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper diagonally in half over the filling and press the edges of the wrapper to seal. Place the ravioli on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers, egg, and chocolate-hazelnut spread.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Add enough oil to a heavy large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F.
Working in batches, carefully add the ravioli to the hot oil and cook until they are golden brown, about 45 seconds per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Then, transfer the cooked ravioli to another baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven while frying the remaining ravioli. (The fried ravioli can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool them completely, then cover and refrigerate. Before serving, place them on a baking sheet and rewarm in a preheated 375 degrees F oven just until they are heated through, about 7 minutes.)

YUMMY!


***To help defray the cost of the party, I am being provided with products, coupons and a gift card by Nasoya®. All opinions expressed are strictly my own. Please refer to my disclosure policy***


Sunday, November 14, 2010

Epcot Food & Wine Festival 2010

I started this post on the 14th and now finally have time to (attempt to) finish it!

Although I am not a huge foodie, I always look forward to the Epcot Food & Wine Festival. For one, it's EPCOT, my favorite park. And two, there are desserts everywhere! Yes, we are not wine connoisseurs either. We just know what we like. Even if it is a $7 bottle of locally produced wine. I lean towards reds and enjoy a Zinfandel every now and then. White wine is the devil and has me on the floor after just one sip. I LOVE Sangria and I make a mighty good pitcher, if I do day so myself. But no, I'm not a wine connoisseur, I am a pretty good froo froo drink know-it-all though! D is a beer drinker...and loves trying regional beers, so he was content.

First, we would look at the menu, then hang back and watch what others would buy and see what it looked like. We would also buy just one plate to taste between the two of us. Except for desserts. I require one dessert sample all for myself. I'm greedy like that. I would offer him on tiny taste though, so I did share.

We were there for two short days. and had the most amazingly beautiful weather on both days. Crowds were light and manageable. Perfect Disney weather and conditions!

Most of the food that we tried was just ok. Nothing was WOW! Some sample portions were generous, others were downright tiny. For instance, the cheese soup from Le Cellier in the Canada Pavilion. I LOVE this soup and I love Le Cellier! The portion served was approximately 1/4 cup! Tini tiny!

Now, the Asopado in the Puerto Rico booth was way more generous plus we also had the media noche sandwich here. Go figure, we're Latin and have that stuff here.



















We both enjoyed the Nurnberger sausage in a pretzel roll from Germany. And D enjoyed their beer as well.
























D liked the escargots en brioche from the France booth. I don't like snails, but I tasted the garlicky bread part and it was really good! The Chocolate Creme Brulee, on the other hand, was a HUGE disappointment! It was served cold and not at all creamy. I make a killer creme brulee, so I may be a bit biased. But come on, creme brulee is not served cold. Period.
































The BBQ Short Rib in South Korea was ok. Quite tasty but very fatty. Didn't care for the kimichi at all.

































I love fondue, but I was just not feeling the fondue from the Charcuterie & Cheese booth. All I know that the cheese was a white cheese, as no one knew exactly what cheese or combination of cheeses was used. It also had an over powering white wine taste.

My FAVORITE booth was, surprise surprise, the Desserts & Champagne booth! YUM! I got the sampler. Three times. The sampler comes with one of each or any combination of the three.
Strawberry Angel Verrine A+
Pear Strussel Pudding Cake B+
Dark Chocolate Sensation A++
































As for drinks, I really don't remember what we had. I never got around to trying the Cranberry Cosmo thingy in France. But I did have a couple of my favorite Grand Marnier Orange Slushes!

The Eat to the Beat concert was a hit. I hope not to date myself by my next comment, but back in the day, I LOVED Dr. Noah Drake. I had my Tiger Beat posters all over my walls. Right there next to Shaun Cassidy & John Travolta. So, it was no coincidence that I chose these days to go to the festival. Rick Springfield was performing and I am happy to say, that at 61 (OMG!) he still puts on a great show! There were even groupies in attendance. Albeit, middle age groupies, but groupies nonetheless!

The line for the concert started about 2 hours prior to the show and reached all the way to Germany before they started letting people in. If you really, really want to see the show, and actually get a seat, make the line. The America Gardens Theater holds a lot of people, and I can tell you that even if you're all the way to Germany, You'll get a seat! :-))

Can't wait to see what's in store fore 2011!