Sample Gourmet Food from Top Restaurants at Taste of Winter Park

Besides the Epcot Food & Wine Festival, the Taste of Winter Park is the local food festival that I look forward to every year. I am sure all my foodie friends agree. Where else can you sample dishes such as prime rib from Shula's Seakhouse, jumbo shrimp from Mitchell's Fish Market, and lobster hot dogs from The Ravenous Pig? Not to mention unique desserts such as Lavendar Tea Cake with Chambord Icing and all the wine and beer you would like.

This year, the Taste of Winter Park is featuring 45 restaurants and shops, including 4 Rivers Smokehouse, Cask & Larder, Luma on Park, P.F. Chang's, Kilwin's Chocolate and Ice Cream, Whole Foods Market, and Prato. For $45, you get as many food and drink samples as you would like. This is a wonderful way to try new restaurants along with all of your favorites.

When: Wednesday, April 17, 5:00-8:00 p.m.

Where: 200 West New England Ave., Winter Park

Happy National Grilled Cheese Day!

Toasted Restaurant's Specials

It's finally here: my favorite day of the year. Seriously, who doesn't like grilled cheese sandwiches? Today is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day! I think I make a pretty mean grilled cheese sandwich, but then I heard about an Orlando restaurant that serves really unique ones. 

For example, today's two specials at Toasted Restaurant in Winter Park are: Roasted Pears, Havarti, Gorgonzola, Arugula and Ginger Candied Walnuts and the PBJ - Fontina, Peanut Butter, Bacon and Blackberry Mash. Wow, I can't wait to try this place. Toasted also has vegan grilled cheese sandwiches, using its in-house coconut milk cheese. 

When you make grilled cheese sandwiches at home, there are all kinds of cheese to use. In my case - because of dairy allergy - I used Daiya Vegan Cheese. It melts like regular cheese and has a great flavor. Daiya's mozzarella flavor works great for this, as well as its Jalapeno Garlic Harvarti. Yum.

Whatever kind of cheese you like, enjoy National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day!

Burgers of All Types & Old-Fashioned Shakes

Photo by Shad Bookout

I couldn't wait to try out the Burger 21 that just opened near UCF in Orlando, Fla. I had been seeing tantalizing pictures of its delicious burgers and shakes on Facebook for two weeks before I had to chance to go in. Plus, there is another Burger 21 by the Mall of Millenia, but I haven't tried it yet.

When I walked in the new restaurant on a busy Friday night, I noticed the fun, modern decor. The decor is such a contrast to the type of desserts offered: old-school milkshakes, sundaes and floats. In fact, that is one of my favorite parts of the restaurant: the bar area where you can watch your milkshake or sundae being made. This ice cream bar has modern twist, though: you can also order beer and wine.

I was also blown away by the 21 different burger choices on the menu. We are not just talking beef. There are seafood, veggie, chicken, and turkey burgers. How refreshing! I almost never see these options on burger restaurants' menus. Plus, there is a gluten-free menu: you can order several hamburgers with gluten-free buns, which is also unheard of.

Photo by Shad Bookout

We ordered The Bacon Cheesy and The Mediterranean, a grilled chicken burger with Panko bread crumbs, feta spread, carmelized onions and roasted red peppers. I was pleasantly surprised that the chicken burger was so moist and flavorful. And all the toppings worked together so well. The Bacon Cheesy is a beef burger with applewood-smoked bacon, red onions, and cheese.  This is a better burger than Five Guys, but is certainly not the best we have had. For the price ($7.49), I think it's great!

We also ordered the Black & Bleu burger form the gluten-free menu. I was surprised that a gluten-free bun could have such great texture and flavor. The French Fries and the Sweet Potato Fries were okay. They came out cold and they were normal shoe-string fries. 

Dessert is pretty much the star of the show. We tried the shake flavor of the month: Apple Crumble. While it is a little too sweet, it tastes exactly like apple cobbler or apple pie. What a treat! The prices are so reasonable here: $5-$7 for 4.5-ounce burgers and $6-$8 on average for 6-ounce burgers. 

To celebrate the opening of the UCF Burger 21, Flavorful Excursions is giving one of our lucky readers a $25 gift card. Simply tell us your favorite burger topping in the comments section below or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ flavorfulexcursions) and you will be entered to win! Deadline: March 28 at midnight.

Where: 11551 University Blvd., Orlando 

Pinocchio's Marionette Theater Great for Kids

There are only three operating marionette theaters left in the U.S., and we are lucky enough to have one of them right here in Central Florida! At the Altamonte Mall, a talented troupe of individuals that are part of Pinocchio's Marionette Theater provide cheap entertainment for your kids for only $6 per child. 

I took my niece recently to an afternoon performance of Cinderella. Wow. It was so neat - for both the kids and the adults in attendance - to see the story come to life through these large wooden puppets. The fairy godmother character even flew! It was refreshing to see children so attentive to something other than television or video games. The performance was a little long for some of the kids, and I would recommend the theater for ages 2 or 3 and above.

Still, there were only three children in the audience of a huge auditorium. Pinocchio's Marionette Theater is a non-profit organization and could really use the community's support. It is easy to support such a great cause, though, to give your child a cost-effective afternoon of fun.

The great show currently running is Beauty and the Beast, and then the theater will feature the Wizard of Oz.

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

Make Paula Deen's New Light Recipes

After celebrity chef Paula Deen demonstrated some of her new healthy recipes earlier this week, I wanted to try some out for myself - they looked so good! Paula helped Florida Hospital kick off its new "Healthy 100 Approved Menu Items" program on Monday. Partnering with the hospital's dietitians, 16 Orlando-area restaurants and food trucks now feature special Healthy 100 appetizers, entrees, side dishes and desserts.

Paula's new, lighter recipes for diabetics and, really, anyone trying to eat healthy are available on the Diabetes in  New Light web site: http://www.diabetesinanewlight.com/recipes.aspx. All of the recipes on the site - including Vegetarian Gumbo, Lady and Sons Lasagna, and Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast - look delicious. Here is a one of Paula's recipes that is easy to make. I love Spinach Artichoke Dip, but am always worried about fat content, so this is a great alternative:

Hot Spinach-Artichoke Dip In a New Light

Ingredients:

1 10-ounce package frozen, chopped spinach
1/4 c. shredded, reduced-fat pepper jack cheese
1 c. freshly grated imported Parmesan cheese
2 14-ounce cans artichoke hearts packed in water, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. light mayo
1/2 c. fat-free ricotta cheese
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice 
1/4 tsp.ground red pepper
Vegetable dippers, such as strips of bell pepper, carrot sticks, celery sticks or endive spears or whole-wheat bagel or pita chips.

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 1-quart baking dish with nonstick spray. 

Microwave the spinach according to package directions. Drain, let cool, and then squeeze dry. Transfer spinach to a large bowl. To make the topping, combine the pepper jack cheese and 2 Tbsp. of the Parmesan cheese in a small bowl until blended.

Pulse the artichoke hearts in a food processor until smooth. Transfer the artichokes to the bowl with the spinach. Stir the remaining Parmesan, mayo, ricotta, lemon juice, and ground red pepper until well mixed. Scrape into the prepared dish. Sprinkle evenly with the topping.

Bake, uncovered, until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Serve with the vegetable dippers.

Paula Deen Kicks Off Healthy 100 in Orlando

Paula Deen at Bob Carr, demoing healthy recipes.

I feel pretty fortunate that the Queen of Southern Cooking herself, Paula Deen, graced Orlando with her presence today. While the bigger-than-life TV personality is known for her decadent Southern meals and desserts, she has quickly transformed her lifestyle and her recipes to focus on healthy recipes.

Ever since she received her Type II diabetes diagnosis last year, Paula has been on a quest to transform the way she eats and lives her life - and has extended that transformation to her family. She and her two sons have all lost a ton of weight in the past few months, and Paula visited Orlando to share how others can have the same success.

Paula also helped Florida Hospital kick off its new "Healthy 100 Approved Menu Items" program. Partnering with the hospital's dietitians, 16 local restaurants and chains now feature special Healthy 100 appetizers, entrees, side dishes and desserts. For example, Panera Bread of Orlando is now carrying a Power Breakfast Eggwhite Bowl with Turkey and Power Chicken Hummus Bowl, while Chick-fil-A is selling Grilled Chicken Nuggets. I have never heard of "healthy" chicken nuggets, so I can't wait to try these ones.

Other local eateries with special recipes include: White Wolfe Cafe, Rangetsu, Infusion Tea, Cocina 214, Shushi House Orlando, and Simply Divine Food Truck. See all of Florida Hospital's Healthy 100 recipes at www.healthy100.org.

Paula also shared her Healthy 100 recipes with the crowd gathered at Bob Carr today, and Flavorful Excursions will share them with you throughout this week!