Round and Baked or Square and Fried?

What to do on a beautiful Sunday afternoon? After seeing an ad for the 2011 Jewish Festival to be held at Temple Emanuel, 1129 Jefferson Road, Greensboro, NC 27410, I had a pretty good idea! The weather was spectacular, and I was more than a little curious about the event!

I had read that there would be food, arts and crafts, a variety of entertainment, and sanctuary tours. I was looking forward to a cultural and culinary experience for sure!

The turnout for the event looked good. The traffic was heavy and parking looked daunting, but I was actually able to find a prime spot right up front! I met a friend there who was interested in reconnecting with some of the very things that she remembered fondly from her childhood... the food!

As we approached the gate, the lively music playing and the friendly greetings from members and volunteers added to the already festive atmosphere! We purchased tickets for food and beverages and headed over to check out some of the booths.

A wonderful introduction to Jewish culture, there was plenty to see. Music and dancing mingled with educational offerings and a hoppin' Kids' Zone. Information was available about the congregation and its outreach, and prayers could be placed in a replica of Jerusalem's Western Wall.

Entering the Temple building, we were met with an excellent selection of jewelry, handcrafted items, and artwork for sale. We checked the tour schedule and headed out to get something to eat!

Chicken soup with matzoh balls or Israeli food plates featuring hummus and pita, couscous, spinach pie, and salad beckoned from vendors' booths. The bialys had apparently come in from Brooklyn and the pastrami and corned beef were shipped from the Lower East Side of New York City.

We went for the plate! Corned beef on rye, sauerkraut, and a side of coleslaw.

Next, we hit the knish booth... Knish, a traditional Jewish snack food consisting of a potato filling wrapped in dough, was a new thing for me. So, round and baked or square and fried?  We had to buy both kinds!

After getting something to drink, we pulled up some curb and got ready to enjoy some authentic and delicious food! And, boy, was it good! The sandwich was thick and meaty! And wow, I could eat a whole truckload of knishes! Baked or fried... both were great!

And then it was on to the baked goods! So many options! Rugelach filled with chocolate and black and white cookies... Delicious knots of challah! I was definitely enjoying the culinary portion of the experience.

After filling up on baked treats, we moved on to the Sanctuary tour. Fascinating history and entertaining anecdotes, the tour was certainly a highlight of the afternoon. The simple beauty of the stained glass windows, the elegant craftsmanship of the carpentry, and the clean lines of the architecture helped create a reverent yet comfortable atmosphere in which to gain insight into the Jewish faith and the congregation of Temple Emanuel.

We made one more pass through the arts and crafts booths, and this time checked out the gift shop. A wonderful array of jewelry, gifts, and items for the home... I was able to find a unique and beautiful hamsa necklace that I can enjoy even more having been given this opportunity for a greater appreciation and understanding of Jewish culture.

The Little Restaurant that Could!

When I was younger, the variety of Asian restaurants was pretty limited. As the culture of Greensboro has become increasingly more international, the variety of options has expanded tremendously. And I am thrilled! Always willing to try the latest and most unusual food offerings, it has been rewarding to find so many different places to choose from in this area over the last several years.

Of those options, I have found a number of reasons to enjoy Vietnamese food. The dishes are seasoned deliciously without overwhelming the flavors of the meats and vegetables. The sauces are generally lighter and don't drown out the freshness of the ingredients. 

One place that has stayed on my radar even as other places continue to pop up around it, even as food trends come and go, has been Binh Minh, 5211 W. Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27409. This time maybe I'll turn my attention not to a new discovery, but to an old friend. We have been going to Binh Minh for years and continue to enjoy all that this little place has to offer.

I can certainly enjoy a big bowl of pho (noodle soup) just about anytime, and the fact that you can choose from a variety of noodles and other ingredients to suit you makes it a particularly versatile dish.

The vermicelli dishes are always an excellent option as well. Again, you get to choose from a variety of components to go with the noodles from spring rolls, lemon grass, curry, and pork, beef, chicken or tofu for a  fresh and tasty bowl to suit any taste.

Where things can get really interesting for the more adventurous palates are on the more traditional Vietnamese dishes. The marinated quail is an excellent and inexpensive dish. The quail is tender and the sauce is delicious!

There are always some things on a menu that you might avoid even at a restaurant that you go to all the time.  At Binh Minh, there was a dish that that I had always been a little afraid of.... The "Special" Pho.... Beef stock and beef... accompanied by tendons and tripe!

I will eat all kinds of things but I had pretty consciously avoided this soup in the past...

Welllllllll... feeling pretty adventurous myself recently, I decided to give it a try, and it was outstanding!

I loved it! Call 'em innards, offal, whatever... I call 'em good!

The tendons were tender and soaked up the delicious flavor of the broth. The tripe was a little chewier, but also very flavorful! I couldn't believe how very good it was!

But don't let this scare you! Tucked away in a strip shopping center on Market Street, you might have sailed by this place a thousand times, but take the time to enjoy all the wonderful comfort food they offer.

Casual and comfortable, the people at Binh Minh treat you like family. The owner will help you make a selection if you are having any trouble deciding, and one of the best things about Binh Minh is that there is a huge variety of options on the menu. There really is something for everyone!

Can I get that deep-fried?

The racetracks are definitely fun, but I have been going to the fair since before I knew anything about NASCAR! I really do love the fair, and it was only a few short years ago that we discovered that the Dixie Classic Fair has it all! The State Fair in Raleigh is BIG time, but for just as much fun and whole lot closer to home... the Dixie Classic has been the place for us!

As soon as you enter the gate, the sights, sounds, and especially the smells will lure you in right away!

The first stop for me is the roasted corn! Cooked to a sweet tenderness, never mushy...

Oh, did I mention the butter?!

I add some Old Bay seasoning and I'm ready to chow down!

And we're just getting started!

Can we get something deep-fried?!

If you can think of it, they're frying it! Deep-fried Oreos or Snickers... Deep-fried Hamburgers or macaroni and cheese... you name it!

We've tried the deep-fried bacon and loved it! It'll make you think of that delicious collision of pancakes and bacon on your breakfast plate! And it's a good thing!

The deep-fried Twinkie is the classic! Creamy filling wrapped in a sweet and doughy blanket served up on a stick! It should be illegal!

But this year we tried something that looked a little different!

Deep-fried Kool-Aid!

I still don't know how it works...

Kool-Aid powder + sweet batter = intensely cherry nuggets of tasty goodness!

Sprinkle it with confectioner's sugar and this treat does not mess around!

After doing even more damage to whatever diets we might be on, we're off to the exhibit halls to check out blue-ribbon baking, canning, photography, and quilting!

All kinds of cakes and decorating to look at, I know I never had a school lunch that looked like it tasted that good!

And after checking out the displays of the domestic arts, we're ready to take in some agriculture!

Prize-winning vegetables in all different sizes and categories, and something else that's lots of fun to see...

Each year, the Dixie Classic fair has a theme, and one of the annual activities that goes with that is the opportunity that kids have to decorate vegetables in that theme!

In the spirit of this year's "Everyone's a Hero!" theme, these super-hero costumed vegetables were especially fun!

And then, of course, you've gotta check out the animals...

all kinds of livestock, pigs racing, herding dogs, the biggest horses you've ever seen, fuzzy bunny rabbits...
and crazy looking chickens looking back at you!

And even though you're full of deep-fried treats and giant turkey legs...

 It's time to hit the rides!

... Enterprise, Top Spin, Drop Zone, Music Express, the Zipper, and so many more! ... ready and waiting to spin, twirl, and hurl you through the night time sky!

And finally a highlight on every trip to the fair... the Giant Ferris Wheel! The view from high above the fairgrounds is something to see!

Whew! What a night! It's midnight and the crowds have dispersed... the lights are going down around us! We've closed the place down again this year! Tired and happy we head to the parking lot and pile in the car... I'm ready for a sleepy ride home!

Food on a stick!

I love fall! I love to enjoy the weather, to wear sweaters, and to break out the cowboy boots! I love to go the fairs and to the race tracks at this time of year! And when I'm at the track, I love getting to eat some of my favorite food!

The hot dogs at Martinsville Speedway are definitely worth writing home about (and I have!), but Charlotte Motor Speedway has their own tasty offerings as well!

If you're a fan of a fried bologna sandwich, they make a good one! But it's the corn dog that gets all the attention! I had my first foot long corn dog at a Nationwide race there, and was blown away! And the regular-size corn dog is no slouch either! That bad boy is big!

A beefy dog, wrapped in a breading that is just sweet enough to make this a special treat, and cooked to a perfect crispness...

You may not want to make the call in a head-to-head competition with the "Mart" dog! And since they are not available at the same track, you actually don't have to choose between them. You can check out both tracks and both treats!