Try New Food and Drinks at Epcot Flower and Garden Festival

I love how Walt Disney World in Orlando has changed things up this year and added food and drinks to the annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival! Epcot's talented chefs have created fresh dishes that are inspired by gardens and backyard living.

For example, the Florida Fresh at World Showcase Promenade features Shrimp and Stone Ground Grits with andouille sausage, Zellwood corn, tomatoes and cilantro. Other tasty dishes around the World Showcase include: "Frushi", made with fresh fruits and coconut rice; Smokehouse barbecue, and Angel Food Cake with Florida Strawberries. 

Meanwhile, fresh fruits and veggies are the inspiration behind the alcoholic drinks and "mocktails" during this year's Festival. The Dole Whip has been upgraded to include spiced rum - there is nothing that sounds bad about that! Florida Orange Groves Winery is featuring its Hot Sun Tomato Wine. The refreshing-looking non-alcoholic beverages include Wild Berry Slush and Frozen Desert Violet Lemonade. I can't wait to try these.

Of course, the Flower & Garden Festival has all of the other things that makes this annual event so popular, including the unbelievable topiaries, HGTV seminars, and the fun Flower Power concert series. To see all the photos from this year's Festival, visit Flavorful Excursions' Facebook page.

When: March 20 - May 19, 2013

Check out Ga. Shrimp and Grits Festival

Shrimp and grits have got to be among the best food pairings in history. I love the taste of tender, spicy grilled shrimp, combined with creamy corn (or cheesy) grits. I just recently discovered that there is a festival devoted to all the possible variations on shrimp and grits: "Shrimp & Grits: The Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival". Held September 14-16 in Jekyll Island, Georgia, the Festival includes both amateur and professional shrimp and grits cooking competitions, cooking demos, and craft brew tasting.

While you are in Jekyll Island, I would recommend staying at one of the top-rated hotels there: the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. This place is palatial and there are a ton of activities to do at the property and nearby. It is directly across from the Jekyll Harbor Marina, where boats can take you on shrimping tours or dolphin-spotting tours.

Jekyll Island Club Hotel

Even though the resort looks grand inside and out, it does offer specials and packages. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Jekyll Island Club is offering rates of $125 per night for certain rooms in August, and has 25 percent off deluxe suites from Sundays through Thursdays. In its Grand Dining Room, diners can enjoy the daily lunch special and an ice cream sandwich for $12.50.

I am looking forward to visiting Jekyll Island soon, and will give you my review on the glorious Jekyll Island Club Hotel, the infamous Driftwood Breach, and all the best places to dine there.

Check Out Cheesecake Factory's New Food - and Classic Favorites

While The Cheesecake Factory has been around for awhile, I was reminded of how deep and varied the menu is, as well as the many new items the restaurant chain has added, on a recent visit to its Winter Park, Fla., location.

You can basically order any type of food you can conceive of - any time of day. This includes omelettes, Chinese food, pasta, salads, desserts, and entrees centered around vegetables, beef, chicken, or seafood. I always get my favorite appetizer - the Avocado Egg Rolls. This is the yummiest gooey-ness I can imagine: they take my favorite fruit, season it, and deep fry it in egg roll wrappers. On my recent visit, I also ordered the Chinese Chicken Salad, which comes with rice noodles, green onions, wontons, oranges and a plum dressing. I appreciated the fact that every single ingredient in the salad was very fresh.

I was also impressed at the price of the salads - around $10 to $12 each. Perusing the menu, I realized that people on a budget can really eat at Cheesecake. There are so many small plates and appetizers, along with soup & salad or sandwich & salad specials. Of course, the price of each slice of cheesecake - around $6 - is totally worth it. My favorite flavor so far is Adam's Peanut Butter Cup. What is yours?

New Shrimp Creole

On my next visit, I am excited to try more of the food on Cheesecake's new Winter Menu and its SkinnyLicious menu. New food items at its Winter Park location include: Shrimp Creole, Skinnylicious Chicken Enchiladas, Island Grilled Chicken, Shrimp and Grits, Shrimp Toast Lollipops, Over the Top Meatloaf Sandwich, and Nutty Chocolate Marshmallow Shake.