Gift Pick: Your Astrological Cookbook

Your Astrological Cookbook has the perfect recipe for every sign!

Author Catherine Urban walks readers through every sign’s makeup and explains how to cook for both element (qualities of the sign) and modality (the pace of the sign). 

For example, earth sign Taurus loves grounded, simple, solid recipes it can trust, and it is a fixed sign, so it understands patience (read: fire up the slow cooker). 

Or, air sign Gemini is game to try new things, and, as a mutable sign, they take life as it comes and can adapt to creative cuisine.

The book then breaks down 200+ recipes across astrological signs. In Virgo: The Logical Chef, you’ll find recipes like Fig, Apricot and Almond Granola, that cater to Virgos’ value of simple elegance; in Taurus: The Smooth Chef, decadence abounds, and you’ll find recipes like Potatoes au Gratin and Grilled Broccoli Rabe and Alfredo Risotto.

Read this book to cook for your sign, or even throw an astrological dinner party and cater a dish to every guest!

LOCAL PUMPKIN EATS

PUMPKIN EATS START NOW

Sweet Aloha Bowls of Royersford Autumn Creations

The leaves are falling, the air is crisp, and pumpkin spice is de rigueur and we are starting our autumn eats right now.

Start with a slice or two of seasonal toast from Sweet Aloha Bowls in Royersford. Slathered with delicious pumpkin butter and topped with crushed pecans, apples, cinnamon and a vegan caramel sauce drizzle. Or how about the pumpkin bowl with maple syrup, granola and pumpkin seeds, or the apple pie smoothie with apples, almond butter and oat milk. Can you say ahhh-pple?

At A Taste of Britain, the Pumpkin Pie Black Tea sets the mood with a spicy autumn bite plus their Fall scone-Pumpkin Granola with a Maple Glaze. The scone has pumpkin, oats, golden raisins, sunflower seeds, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds.

Steel City Coffeehouse Spooky Latte

Looking for a fun place to curl up with a good book and get a unique coffee beverage or a craft beer, like the new American Brown Ale created with malt from Deer Creek Malthouse and honey from Breyer Apiary? Steel City Coffeehouse has the drinks to warm you, like local apple cider, Apple Pie Chai, S’more Latte, and Butterbeer Latte. Stay for the live music while you nosh on home-baked creations.

Looking for a hearty fall meal? Look no further than the Railroad Street Bar & Grill- their stick-to-your-ribs grilled cheeses are thick and substantial, and combine top-notch breads, cheeses and meats. Don’t miss the Thanksgiving Day Grilled Cheese (everyone loves gravy!) or the Octoberfest Grilled Cheese.

https://www.valleyforge.org/editorial/post/autumn-has-arrived-pumpkin-eats-start-now/

When it’s time for dessert pop into the Iron Abbey Gastro Pub for their adorable and delicious autumn tarts. Their Pumpkin Tart is baked spiced pumpkin pie filling topped with a whipped cream rosette and a chocolate pretzel; their baked Apple Mini Pie is made with homemade pie dough wrapped around smokehouse apples, cinnamon nutmeg tapioca and a scoop of vanilla ice cream; and their Pecan Tart is homemade traditional pecan pie filling glazed with apricot preserves and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Relax at home with the ultimate autumn dessert: Pumpkin cheesecake.
Kriebel’s Custom Bakery whips up a rich cheesecake loaded with pumpkin nestled in a crisp gingersnap crust, while their apple cake combines a delicious crumb cake with cinnamon and apples.

So while the leaves are falling and the sun is shining, grab a latte and a scone and enjoy autumn—it’s the best Montco has to offer!

The baked Apple Mini Pie from Iron Abbey Gastro Pub is made with homemade pie dough wrapped around smokehouse apples, cinnamon nutmeg tapioca and a scoop of vanilla ice cream;

Sweet Aloha Bowls
324 Main St
Royersford, PA

Iron Abbey Gastro Pub
680 Easton Rd
Horsham, PA

Black Powder Tavern
1164 Valley Forge Rd
Wayne, PA

Railroad Street Bar & Grill
36 Railroad St
Linfield, PA

A Taste of Britain
Eagle Village Shops
503 West Lancaster Avenue
Wayne, PA

Steel City Coffeehouse
203 Bridge Street​
Phoenixville, PA

Kriebel's Custom Bakery
3140 W Ridge Pike
Eagleville, PA

*Originally ran on Valley Forge Tourism Website: https://www.valleyforge.org/editorial/post/autumn-has-arrived-pumpkin-eats-start-now/

Author: Christine Tarlecki

Christine Tarlecki an entertainment and food writer seeking out the best bites and writing about them. She also pens an award-winning food & lifestyle blog. Most weekends you can find Christine in Montco trying out local cuisine or curled up with a good book. She also teaches small business social media marketing classes. Christine can be reached under @engchik on all social media. #LocalLove

Thinking About Ice Cream? Re:THINK Ice Cream Does Superfoods

Last month, Re:THINK Ice Cream, the first-ever real, superfood-rich ice cream that fits into your healthy lifestyle, announced that it had launched Strawberry Chia Seed and Black Cherry Vanilla… now, the brand is announcing its newest flavor: velvety, rich Chocolate Orange with Almond Butter reminiscent of the holiday season.

Made with all-natural ingredients, Re:THINK has 2/3 less sugar and carbs of regular ice cream and 1/2 of the calories than your regular ice cream. And unlike “nice” creams, it’s made from real milk and cream and only sweetened with a touch of organic agave (no cane sugar, sugar alcohol or other artificial sugars).

You don't want to miss out on this amazing snack- creamy, delicious, and full of good things- Re:THINK will make you wonder what other ice cream you've been eating. 

 Full benefits include:

o   All-natural ingredients

o   2/3 less sugar and carbs*

o   1/2 of the calories and fat*

o   No artificial sugar; no sugar alcohol

o   Sweetened with organic agave

o   Twice the protein*

o   Certified low glycemic

o   Prebiotic fiber

o   Promotes a healthy gut

o   Green tea extract

o   A source of antioxidants

* As compared to regular ice cream

Celebrate National Pumpkin Day with Tropical Smoothie Cafe's New Fall Flavors

National Pumpkin Day is October 26, but I couldn't wait until then to get my hands on some pumpkin-themed items this Fall. The best place to start- Tropical Smoothie Cafe!

Their new Pumpkin Pie Smoothie is fantastic- feels just like Fall. My first sip was of a slightly spicy, cinnamony goodness! 

Made with real pumpkin, Ghirardelli® white chocolate, cinnamon and non-fat yogurt, this smoothie instantly transformed my afternoon to a cool, breezy autumn getaway! I really loved this smoothie, and it tastes just like pumpkin pie in a glass.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe's other Fall flavor is the Salted Caramel. This sweet, caramel smoothie took the stress out of my afternoon, and I kicked back and enjoyed the roasted banana, Ghirardelli® sea salt caramel, dates, non-fat yogurt and cinnamon.

Get yourself to Tropical Smoothie Cafe- these flavors are only around while the leaves are falling!

Bake Better with Nielsen-Massey

Baking has become a common way to relax, but before you can bake your way to your personal state of Zen, you need to know the basics. For the past few months, we’ve been sharing those basic baking skills through Neilson #BetterYourBake campaign, but all good things must come to an end.

Have you ever gazed lovingly at a slice of opera cake and wondered how its cloak of chocolate ganache got so glossy? No, it is not magic. Yes, you can achieve this at home! Watch our latest and final #BetterYourBake tip to learn the easiest method for tempering chocolate at home. Practicing this skill will help you unlock the secrets to creating beautiful ganaches and glazes that are both alluring and downright impressive. As fall begins, take some time to practice mindfulness in the kitchen and let the aromatherapy of vanilla and brown butter take you to your place of Zen. Not sure how you feel about baking just yet? Check out this video with helpful tips and #BetterYourBake with Nielsen-Massey!

Celebrate National Coffee Day with Corner Bakery Today

It's National Coffee Day! 
Drink up and power through your day at the Corner Bakery!

Current seasonal flavor - a robust, autumnal Hazelnut

To commemorate National Coffee Day on Sept. 29^th, you can get your fuel for the day at Corner Bakery Cafe with a FREE coffee*

Get any FREE brewed hand-roasted coffee or cold brew in your favorite variety – with any purchase. 

Only at participating locations: https://www.cornerbakerycafe.com/offers 

New Jersey's Cape May Court House Restaurant Week Launches this Weekend

 Try Middle Township #RestaurantWeek, when 11 awesome restaurants will have individual deals and offers from Sept. 22-27. You don't want to miss out. Great food, great places, it's a week of awesome!

• Scola Menz Restaurant & Bar 
• Matthews Seafood Market & Restaurant 
• Momiji Japanese Restaurant 
• Murasaki 
• Nino's Family Restaurant 
• George's Place Court House 
• Rio Station 
• Avalon Links Restaurant 
• Dos Amigos 
• Bellevue Tavern

In addition to participating restaurants, they are holding ONE NIGHT ticketed events to enhance the MT Restaurant Week experience. 

- Thursday Sept. 26 at Jessie Creek Winery with guest restaurant George’s Place Court House. $85

- Friday Sept. 27 at Stan Sperlak’s Crow Creek Farm, Gardens/Studio and his Amish Barn with guest restaurant Scola. $75 BYOB


-Tickets available at Scola and George’s Place CH.

Come hungry and stay for dessert.

DIY With Friends and Fam at AR Workshops

It’s Saturday night (or a Tuesday morning or a Thursday night) and you feel like you’ve tapped out the local fun.

Not so- hit up the AR Workshop in Malvern or Gilbertsville and get ready to get CREATIVE.

Celebrate the people in your life with a creative gift, or something personalized and special for your house or office.

AR Workshops offer a whole host of DIY items- to the quality of department store or HomeGoods items, but you make it, personalize it, and take it home.

For Bestie’s Night Out, Rach and I arrived at the Malvern location on King Street in Malvern and were shown to our workspace. We were joined by two others on a date and across the way were two bachelorette parties.

The atmosphere was of a party, but with the underlying feeling of getting ready to get working. We brought wine and cupcakes and shared them with our table.

We had chosen our projects ahead of time- and the list is large and varied- mailboxes, shell boxes, lazy susans, mail slots, cutting boards, wine trays and signs.

There’s also a whole host of workshops with other items at other times- jewelry, afghans, pillows, bags- pretty much anything that can be created, painted, and personalized.

I was making a tray, so my decal was pre-cut, along with several pieces of lumber and the tray handles.  Rachel was making a lazy susan for her kitchen, so her decal was sitting next to a large round of wood with casters to the side.

We began by sanding our wood pieces, then our instructor showed me how to line up the wood and staple gun it together- which made me feel badass! Watch out world, we've got staple guns!

After we smoothed the wood we painted it.
The AR workshop has a variety of colors and finishes to personalize our pieces. 
I chose a light grey and Rach went with the natural look.

We then had to pick out (like with a dental pick) the letters of our decal and apply it to the painted product. 
Once we applied the decal, we smoothed it on and painted in the letters with a contrasting color. 
I went for darker letters over the gray wood.  

We were having such a blast- it was fun to get so creative, but a word of caution- you are dealing with sawdust, paint, finishes, and other materials. 

Don’t what I did and wear nice new pants with a long-sleeved sweater- I got hot really fast, so dress for comfort.

While the paint dried, we had more cupcakes and wine, and then we could carefully peel off the decal- and voila!
There’s my personalized tray!
Now came time to affix the cool antique-looking handles- watch out…I got the drill gun!
Making Dad proud!

As everyone was finishing up, I really enjoyed the selection our group chose- cool cheese boards with the names of fromage painted across, pretty “Welcome to our House’ signs and more.

We greatly enjoyed our DIY night out- creating something unique for my house was empowering, and supporting a local business felt awesome. 

The space was fun and soothing, and the atmosphere was fun and determined.

Check out AR Workshop in Malvern or Gilbertsville and enjoy a fun DIY night out.