Knit. Bethlehem. is as much about knitting and fiber arts as it is about my town - Bethlehem, PA. Technically, it is a city; but, I always call it a town because I firmly believe that anyone that stepped foot on our Main Street would laugh at the idea that this is a city. However, Main Street is lined with cute boutiques and hip restaurants. There are speaker rocks lining the road with soft music following you as you walk down the street. It feels comfortable and homey while still giving you the freedom to walk most places.
One of my favorite places in Bethlehem is located on Main Street: McCarthy's Red Stag Pub. It is an Irish pub that feels like your cozy neighborhood bar, but also has a level of class about it. One of the things I love most about it is that there are no televisions. That's right, you get a distraction-free dinner where you don't have to compete for the attention of your company. Yup, these places still exist!
LIFE AS A PICKY EATER
I'm a picky eater, and have been my entire life. I grew up loving those divided plates because it meant that none of my food would touch. Thankfully, I've at least grown out of that phase. But, I'm still not great when it comes to trying new foods. I'm the queen of saying I don't like something, even though I've never tried it.
Guys, I had my first burrito last year. It is that serious.
This year, I've been trying to force myself out of my comfort zone so that I try new things. This includes new foods. Once I heard about the cooking demonstrations at my favorite restaurant, I knew this would be the perfect way to bring new food into my life. I've never had anything bad to eat off their menu, so I figured I could trust the head chef with anything she put in front of me.
COOKING DEMOS
Every month, I walk down to the Red Stag Pub and meet my friend for a cooking demo. These demos aren't hands-on, but you get to spend an hour with the head chef of the restaurant going step-by-step through the recipe. You learn how to make both a main course and a dessert.... and then you eat it. Talk about value!
This month, the menu was roasted bone marrow and peanut butter pie. I was a bit nervous to try something as unique as roasted bone marrow, but at least I had peanut butter pie for dessert in case I didn't like it.
I was thankful when I arrived and saw that we weren't going to be just slurping the bone marrow out of the bone. She had already toasted up some french bread and made fresh raspberry jam. She blew my mind when she whipped up some fresh peanut butter in her food processor.... who knew it only took three ingredients?!?! We ended up making some fancy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with bone marrow on top. The flavors blended together so nicely that I forgot what I was eating! It kind of just tasted like I topped my sandwich with bacon fat. What's wrong with that, right?
Next up, peanut butter pie. This turned out to be a no-bake dessert that was also incredibly easy to make! It might just be what I bring to parties so that it actually looks like I can function in the kitchen. What amazed me about this is that it was incredibly light. Most peanut butter pies that I've had are delicious, but heavy. You eat half the slice and hate your life. I downed this whole slice of pie with no regrets. I wish I had more that I could eat right now. My stomach is growling just thinking about it.
Overall, I'm incredibly proud of myself for stepping this far out of my comfort zone and actually enjoying it.
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