Delta Fair & Music Festival, Labor Day Weekend and Beyond!

Hey all! Have you ever been to the Delta Fair and Music Festival? If not, you’ll have your chance starting tomorrow, September 3rd and lasting until September 12th. It’s the perfect Labor Day weekend activity for you and yours!

You know that the city of Memphis couldn’t let a holiday pass without some sort of music or food festival, lol. The Delta Fair and Music Festival boasts that it’s the Mid-South’s premier family event. Are you in agreement? There are so many contests, events, and vendors at the festival this year, that it’s hard to keep up with them all.  There are two national contests: Pillsbury Pet-Ritz Pie Baking Championship and Fleischmann’s Yeast Bake for the Cure Baking Contest, and these take up the Delta Fair’s culinary area.

Since it’s taking place at the Agricenter International (7777 Walnut Grove, Memphis , 38120), 15 minutes from Dogwood Creek Apartments, agricenter events will be present as well. There will be competitions, family entertainment and educational farm tours. The interactive exhibits and shows include Open and Jr. Livestock competitions, Tn High School and Jr. Rodeo Competitions and an educational farm tour open daily to school groups and fair goers.

If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, it’d be great if you stopped by and told everyone how it was on your return!

photo credit: bucklava

Is less really more?

Let me rephrase that question: “Is less really more…when concerning tents for the MIM World Championship BBQ Contest this weekend?”

Obviously, event officials think so. For the first time in the contest’s history, a single company was awarded an exclusive vendor contract for all tents rented during the event. Officials believe that this will make the event run more efficiently. I can see why; trying to put up a tent with BBQ sauce all over your fingers can prove to be a sticky situation.

The vendor, Classic Party Rentals, is able to provide tents for more than 140 teams in this year’s competition.

Don’t forget, Memphis in May’s World Championship BBQ Contest weekend kicks off TODAY at Tom Lee Park from 11 am to 12 am. Be sure to head out, because if you’ve been to others, you know that tonight, it’s time to PARTY!

Have you ever been to the BBQ contest?

photo credit: thebittenword.com

18th annual City Auto Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival

Make plans to attend the 18^th annual City Auto Rajun Cajun Crawfish Festival next Sunday, April 18^th. Like any other festival they’ll have live music, but the thing that excites me most is that they’re having a gumbo cooking contest! Now, I don’t make the dish myself, but I know others who do, and that has made me grow to love it! In addition to all the yummy gumbo, there’ll be over 16,000 pounds of Louisiana crawfish in attendance. Okay, who’s mouth just started watering?

The festival will also feature the famous “Zany Cajun” contests, which features events such as crawfish races, a crawfish toss, a crawfish eating contest, and a crawfish bob. The crawfish bob disturbs me very much, but hey, to each their own right?

Vendors will include Bayou Bar & Grill, Cajun Catfish, Pearl’s Oyster House, and fair-food stalls. The event will be held at Wagner Place between Beale and Union, and admission is free. Sound like a little piece of heaven right? Well, except for the whole bobbing for crawfish part.

Are you thinking about attending?

Recipe of the Week: Almond-Honey Power Bar

Hey Dogwood Creek! Always on the move and don’t have time for breakfast, why not make a couple of these to send you on your way?

Almond-Honey Power Bar

Ingredients:

• 1 cup(s) old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup(s) slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup(s) sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon(s) flaxseeds, preferably golden
• 1 tablespoon(s) sesame seeds
• 1 cup(s) unsweetened whole-grain puffed cereal (see Tips & Techniques)
• 1/3 cup(s) currants
• 1/3 cup(s) chopped dried apricots
• 1/3 cup(s) chopped golden raisins
• 1/4 cup(s) creamy almond butter (see Tips)
• 1/4 cup(s) turbinado sugar (see Tips)
• 1/4 cup(s) honey
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon(s) salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch-square pan with cooking spray.
• Spread oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, and sesame seeds on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the oats are lightly toasted and the nuts are fragrant, shaking the pan halfway through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add cereal, currants, apricots, and raisins; toss to combine.
• Combine almond butter, sugar, honey, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low, stirring frequently, until the mixture bubbles lightly, 2 to 5 minutes.
• Immediately pour the almond butter mixture over the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon or spatula until no dry spots remain. Transfer to the prepared pan. Lightly coat your hands with cooking spray and press the mixture down firmly to make an even layer (wait until the mixture cools slightly if necessary). Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes; cut into 8 bars.