Why is it that I feel like our busiest weekends are the weekends in which we don't have any plans! We were all over the place this weekend and had a blast visiting with all sorts of friends.
We started our Saturday off in Winter Park for the 3rd Annual Winter Park Harvest Festival. Our friend John is the founder of this all local event that has been so successful over the past couple of years. He is also the brains behind the new East End Market which is coming soon to the Audubon Park district of Orlando.
According to the website:
We are so proud of him and can't wait to celebrate the official opening sometime next year.East End Market is a proposed two-story community and small business incubator in the Audubon Park Garden District at 3201 Corrine Drive. The goal of the project is to create a venue for enterprising food entrepreneurs, tradespeople, chefs and creatives. Additionally the project seeks to provide a setting for community enrichment and neighborhood events.The First Floor will be host to small, independently owned food enterprises, from butchers to coffee roasters! Contiguous to the market will be an incubator kitchen and farm-fresh lunch/dinner restaurant. The Second Floor will offer a large event space, catering/demonstration kitchen, offices and/or small retail shops. Outdoors will be landscaped with edible and Florida friendly varietals with a market garden installed along Corrine Dr.
The Harvest Festival, held on Central Park's West Meadow, was very busy. The weather was beautiful and the laid back vibe was refreshing. Everything just felt so relaxed...I loved it!
With food, beer and local vendors discussing everything from organic honey to vegan desserts the tents were packed.
Many elementary school "grow boxes" were also on display...I think I have to get with John and see how we can bring these to my school!
There were even fresh produce stands and hydroponic lettuce growing along with cooking, gardening and health demonstrations throughout the day.
On our way out we stopped by the Edible Orlando tents to see our friend Katie. She is the editor of the Edible Orlando Magazine and one of the authors of a new cookbook!
Field to Feast: Recipes Celebrating Florida Farmers, Chefs and Artisans is an amazing collection of recipes using local (Florida grown) ingredients. Katie and her cohorts traveled around Florida to visit the best Florida Farms and share stories of local flavor. The photography is beautiful and the book design is on point (way to go Jason!). I was so excited to buy my signed copy and can't wait to try some of the recipes. They were all tested out in "real" kitchens and seem to be very user friendly.
To get your copy click here!
After finishing up at the Harvest Festival we made our way over to visit my friend Leigh (visiting from NC) and her two precious boys along with the rest of her family (who are all like my second family). It was so good to see them and catch up for a bit before they made their way to Sarasota for their final destination.
A bit later, Mike and I found ourselves at our friends Jenny and Jeremy's house hanging out, watching football and getting ready to hit the new (to Orlando) restaurant; Rocco's Tacos. We have visited the one in Ft. Lauderdale for our friend Jill's bachelorette party a while ago, but were interested to see the Orlando version. All I can say is that Rocco is a genius. The place was hoppin' and the view was beautiful. It was a great night - but reservations are definitely recommended!
Our weekend ended with a Packer watching party with our friends Rick and Chrissey (and company). Luckily the Packers pulled out a victory and all was right with the world (at least in our household)!
With only two days of work this week I can't wait for Thanksgiving festivities to start; followed by non-stop Christmas music...my favorite!
Here's our menu plan - what are you eating this week?
M: Pesto Chicken Pizza
T: Grilled Steak w/ Hasselback Potatoes and Chopped Salad
W: Palatka
Th: Happy Thanksgiving!
F: Brinner: Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuits w/ Fresh Fruit
Sa: Chicken Fajitas
Su: Baked Spaghetti
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