Chip it, cone it, or skewer it…
One handed food!
Fast and easy to grab and go appetizer or dinner-by-the-bite menu items. Have your guest Chip it up, Cone it up, or Skewer it up.
I have shown American Saddlebreds and Hackney ponies for years with Ventura Farm, Shelbyville, Kentucky. Showing, working and taking care of these horses is long hours of dedication for the love these gorgeous animals. I am Ventura Farm’s in-house chef/customer. The Kentucky horse show circuit are held at the fairgrounds for at least a week. The problem: They located at least 30 minutes from any nice restaurant (except for the fast food joints, yuk!).
Exhibitors, trainers, and grooms are up at dawn getting ready to work or show their horses. You would be at the show all day long; then, go back to the hotel, crash for an hour or two…or not. And do it all over again for the evening performance until midnight!
So, you become a hostage to the evil, scary, food vendors…with their fried, nasty, greasy pork fritters on a bun with that mystery sandwich spread that squirts out both sides of your mouth and leaves you with its special odor lingering on you all day long. The burgers and chicken sandwiches, would make Micky D’s a gourmet’s delight. And you can’t forget about the sticky, gooey, donut creations that would shoot your sugar level to the moon! Screw’um
This is what I did to avoid those nasty, greasy, calorie laden offerings…
I would pack up coolers and turn fresh colorful cut veggies, fruit, deconstructed composite salads into healthy treats that you could grab with one hand and still pet, sit on top of your horse, or behind your horse in your fancy show cart. Of course, we had to have our fine French and Spanish cheeses along with unique crackers to go along with our great wine and Modelo beer! Plus I would bring Laura’s horse cookies from Dorothy Lane and a big bag of puffy peppermints for our ponies. I’d buy 20 pound box every year from Windy Acres.
Kathy Snyder and I would invite the exhibitors from the other saddle horse barns to join us for camaraderie and great food. Just don’t eat the pork fritters! Establishing a relationship and engaging people with food is a way to make a community, or a tribe…is that what they call it now?
My answer to turning food into a community event
It has to be one-handed, easy and clean to eat and tasty! With all these sports gatherings on the horizons, and outdoor activities being planned, this is your time to enjoy food with your friends. I suggest: Cone it! Skewer it! Chip it!
When tailgating, water sports, or horse showing, keep this idea of fast and easy grab, take out food in your back pocket. This is when you want to pull these babies out…and not necessarily out your ass (LOL!) Everyone will love it! And I hear the applause right now…
Really, it’s the ultimate tailgate food for any sport that has a ball involved in it! Chips are not just for dips.
CHIP IT: Appetizers on a chip
What about a bite of bbq pulled pork, a tad of coleslaw, on a “Red Wine and Vinegar” chip from Hen of the Woods; a sliver of smoked salmon, a squirt of sour cream, capers, and dill plume, on “Himalayan Pink Salt Lentil “chip by The Daily Grave; black bean, corn and avocado salsa on a “Veggie Crisps” by Off the Eaten Path ; or a thin slice of grilled steak tartare topped with chimichurri on a “Touch of Smoke” kettle chips by Hen of the Woods.
Chip it up with Pulled Pork, Black Bean & Corn Salsa, Steak and Chimichurri, and Smoked Salmon
Or on the beach, in a ski or fishing boat while watching your friends defend their titles of glory. Just cone it! Roll your own… flour tortilla, around spinach, super greens, or red romaine, and filled yummy healthy veggies, meats, or seafood.
Don’t forget to check your freezer. I always keep Panko Breaded Tilapia on hand (for my grandson and hubby). It’s perfect and easy for the cone…with red leaf romaine, roasted red pepper, feta cheese, and Sweet Kale Chopped Salad; grilled chicken adobe with pickled red onions, black bean and corn salsa, Queso Fresco, and sexy Latin micro greens; and tempura fried veggies, Shishito peppers, with super greens, lemony garlic sauce, and pickled ginger.
Cone it up with Baked Panko Tilapia, Roasted Chicken Adobo:; Curried Tempura Veggies
It’s the perfect one handed healthy treat on the back of a horse or in a barn at the horse shows. Healthy skewers are making a huge comeback. A healthy taste treat besides all the nasty crap you get from the food venders.
Equestrians are professional athletes too. I don’t see The Olympic Athletes eating pork fritters on a white bun. I never see them wearing gloves…Yheee
Skewer up marinated tortellinis, Ciliengini Mozzarella balls, grape tomatoes, fresh basil plume, and artichoke hearts; sautéed Korean steak ribbons with pickled cucumbers; poached shrimp and scollops, grapefruit, avocado, and fresh baby spinach. RestaurantWare has the best catering disposal ware and skewers ever! And quite the fashion conscience, eco-friendly display board for your skewers.
Skewer it up with Sautéed Korean Beef;
Poached Shrimp & Scallops; Caprese Salad & Marinated Artichoke Heart
All righty then, pick and choose your favorite chips (they don’t have to be potato either), flour or corn tortillas, and skewers. And let the fun begin! I’ll be posting some of my favorite combos and recipes this month. Be sure to check back (or follow me on your favorite social media platform: Facebook , Pinterest or Instagram).
I am sure you already have chips, flour tortillas, skewers, and other fun stuff in your pantry. You just have to add a few delicacies that you love or maybe their already in your refrigerator or freezer…that’s what chef’s do. When they make a menu up, they think about how many ways they can sell a menu item or component that will lower their food cost and up their profits with a creative spin!
Don’t you love cheap thrills? Get your creative flavor palette simmering…Food is art and you can eat it too!
Hail… to the People’s Art…One Handed Food!
Gerrie
