I was browsing through the New York Times’ dining section the other day, and I came across an article entitled “A Taste of Home on Capitol Hill.” Apparently the latest trend among Congressmen these days is to provide their guests with a little local flavor when they visit the office, offering them foods produced in their district: prunes from California, orange juice from Florida…and Eat N Park cookies from Pennsylvania (which I can personally attest are life-changingly delicious).

This article got me thinking about the “local flavor” of my own communities. Birmingham is widely known for its Golden Flake potato chips and perhaps it’s famous Milo’s sweet tea. As for Raleigh, I bet you’ve probably heard of Bone Suckin’ Sauce. I’ve featured it here on the B-Hut before—it’s friggin’ fraggin’ amazing on tofu:)

What food products are produced in or near your community? How would you define your town’s “local flavor?”

Here’s a look at how I made my own local flavor today:

It’s Friday, which usually means pancakes or waffles are on the breakfast menu. Today was no different—I made some protein waffles topped with coconut butter and assorted berries. I had to stock up on coconut butter again today; it’s such an expensive habit ($12/jar), but there’s no way I could give it up!

For lunch, I made a batch of Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. I tweaked the ingredients quite a bit this time, and I’ll update the recipe page soon.

Tonight’s meal featured an Ellie recipe, Parmesan Mashed Potatoes.

My tweaks:

-I used almond milk instead of buttermilk/non-fat milk.

-I added more Parmesan.

-I used a combination of random fingerling potatoes, as apparently I have no Yukon Golds in the house!

The potatoes were tasty enough but nothing spectacular. Fresh herbs might have animated the flavors a bit.

Alright, I am off to kick off the weekend with Seth. Happy Friday to all!

Filed under: Meals