The good news is, if we get rocked by Hurricane Sandster, I am pretty sure I’ve consumed enough food in the last 72 hours to keep me alive for at least a month.   Yes, this weekend I ate all the food.  I tried some new places and revisited some old.  Sushi with 2 of my girls on Friday, and then on Saturday I had a lady date with the lovely Jessica, aka How Sweet, aka love her.

We met halfway at a little farm-to-table restaurant in Bedford, PA, called Horn O Plenty.  I saw a few menu items pictured on their Facebook page and was totally convinced, and then as soon as I saw the rustic old building from the outside, I couldn’t wait to go in and check it out.

As I imagined, it was pretty darling inside.  They have a nice big open kitchen, beautiful wooden floors and an old brick fireplace.  I felt like I was having lunch inside someone’s cabin.  After fumbling through their digital notebooks for their menus, (menu items are always changing due to being dependent on seasonal fare), we settled on our choices.  Jess and I both ordered the vegan pumpkin carrot soup and split one of their wood-fire pizzas.  The soup was warm and really hearty, but the pizza was definitely my favorite.  It was a whole wheat crust, topped with Allegheny Cheese (omfg so delicious), onions, golden tomatoes, and peppers.  Still kind of drooling over it.

But even better than the food, was a chance to hang out with one of my favorites, and talk about all kinds of important things like shoes and lip gloss and being almost-30.  Jess also left me with a generous (understatement of the year) parting gift in the form of some of her favorite Trader Joe’s goodies, and for this I owe her my first born child.  Or maybe just a gift card to Sephora.  Either way, it was an awesome little date and I can’t wait to do it again!

The second half of my weekend was spent at the Central PA Food Bank’s 25th annual “Taste of Central PA” event, held at Strawberry Square in Harrisburg, PA.  I’ve been a long-time Food Bank supporter, so I was really excited to attend this event.  (For info on how you can donate to the CPFB, click here.)
Here are a few snapshots…

Rather than fill you in on all the details, I will tell you that there were a few clear favorites for me, and should you ever find yourself in my neck of the woods, I’d highly recommend checking them out:

El Sol’s Tilapia Ceviche:  Fresh, light and just enough kick.

Appalachian Brewing Company’s Grinnin Grizzly:  (From their website: This amber ale is dosed with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and fresh orange zest. It is well balanced with low hop flavor and nice hint of the spices in the finish. This spiced ale is not overbearing; rather it is smooth and very drinkable.)  In a nutshell, DELICIOUS.

Hotel Hershey’s Caramel Apple Tiramisu:  Light, fluffy, could have eaten 12.

And last, my personal favorite….

Hershey Lodge’s Portobello Ricotta Wonton with Sage-Roasted Pumpkin, Kale and a Pancetta-Parmesan Broth:  This was the most delicious thing I’ve eaten a long time.  It was so well thought out and balanced, and a great seasonal choice.  We chatted up the chef, who gladly shared the ingredients used in the dish and was genuinely happy to hear the positive feedback.  I hope they win people’s choice, because it would be certainly well-deserved!

Overall it was a really fun event to attend and I’m glad I got to bring my mom along with me to share in the gluttony fun.  On our way out she decided to leave her little apple piggy bank that came in the attendee bag, right on the ledge outside of the Federal Building.  Because, you know, that’s a great idea, leaving foreign unmarked objects outside of government buildings… Even though it would have been hysterical to see her get swarmed by the downtown police, I gave her a polite warning and she picked it back up.  She will now be referred to as Mrs. Applebomb.

Alright, well if anyone needs me, I’ll probably be waking up from my food coma sometime next week.  Stay safe if you’re on the East Coast, kids. <3

xo J