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Sweet Nothings

Local Women’s Businesses Partner on Dayton-Made Holiday Gift Set

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Four female founders have partnered on a 2020 Dayton-made holiday gift basket.

The Dayton Woman-Owned Business Gift Baskets include baking mixes & espresso salt from Mandy Groszko’s Ella Bella GF; coffee from Kait Brown’s Savorista; toffee from Sarah Thieben’s Sweet Nothings; and chocolate-covered coffee beans from Jen Larochelle-Starbuck’s Gourmet Berries.

Mandy had pulled together gift baskets in prior holiday seasons, but only featuring her own products, she recalled. This year, she decided to incorporate other products from local startups.

“I didn’t set out to do woman-owned businesses, but that’s who I’ve connected with at these events over the last year,” she said. “There are lots of woman-owned businesses in Dayton, & that’s awesome. We’re really excited to have something local all together and be able to share with the community.”

The baskets come in two sizes, small for $45 or large for $65.   Available for local pick-up only — order by Dec. 20 and pick up locally Dec. 16 or Dec. 23 between 2 & 7pm.

Avoid Mall Crowds, Find Gifts at 2nd Street Market!

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Walt’s Salsas and Sauces: Great Local Gift Idea

Are you tired of wrestling a redneck for the latest xbox at Wal-Mart?  Behind on Christmas shopping?  Sick of long checkout lines at the mall or department stores? The Food Adventures Crew feels your pain.  Have you thought about shopping for unique Christmas Gifts at Dayton’s 2nd Street Market?  We think it is the perfect place to find unique Christmas Gifts, birthday gifts or any gift occasion for that matter.   This is part 2 of our market series (last week was FOOD, CLICK HERE to view).

Follow our advice and you’re sure to be a hit with the family, with some of the best local gifts around.

Consider this The Big Ragu, Hungry Jax and Chef House’s,  Gift Giving guide to the 2nd street Market with a Food Adventure twist.

 

HERE’S THE SKINNY:

 — The 2nd Street Market is located near downtown at 600 E. 2nd Street and is open 3 days: Thursday & Friday 11am-3pm,  and Saturday 8am – 3pm.

Some of the Best Toffee on Earth: Click to enlarge this local treasure

— Dozens of local vendors from crafts to wine, and of course, local foodstuffs.

 

MUST GIFTS:

— THE TOFFEE from SWEET NOTHINGS : Our favorite flavor is the Dark Almond Sea Salt Toffee.  Actually, all of the toffees use sea salt.  Other great flavors are Milk Chocolate Macadamia Nut and Dark Chocolate Cashew.  A great gift for the chocolate lovers in the family.  The Big Ragu considers Sweet Nothings his favorite toffee of all time.

 

— THE OLIVE OILS from THE OLIVE TREE : Have friends or family that love to cook ? Here is a perfect gift idea.  This vendor has some amazing, flavor infused olive oils.  May we suggest our favorite, the Sundried Tomato Parmesan Garlic Olive Oil.  You can actually sample all of the olive oils and choose your favorite from the many unique flavors.  We also love the Basil Flavored Olive Oil and the Strawberry Peach Balsamic Vinegar Olive Oil.

 

— SALSA and SAUCES from WALT’S HOMEMADE SALSA :  Family owned operation, selling jars of salsas in various styles and spiciness.  Some extra hot, some medium and some mild, their products are extremely tasty.  You can even sample Walt’s new lines of BBQ Sauces that are also available by the jar.  Their gift baskets make a fun Christmas present with a local twist !

 

— HOMEMADE ITEMS from MONCO INDUSTRIES:  Monco is a local company that provides jobs for special needs people or local residents with disabilities.  The result is a win-win for the community.  Great gifts made by a great organization.  Our favorite gifts here are the pet treats and the stuffed animals.  Make sure you stop by and get a gift from this company, and share the true meaning of Christmas.

 

— HANDCRAFTED BELTS and LEATHER CUFFS from VINTAGELIZ 1974:  We say, “these gifts are pretty kick ass.”  Timeless, leather accessories, made by hand in Dayton.  Take some time to check out this cool vendor.

 

— SCARVES from NEW WORLD ALPACA TEXTILES:  Perfect winter gift!  They have various items made with fleece from alpaca animals that are raised in a local farm in Brookville.  The also sell socks and beautiful artisan rugs !   Great gifts this time of the year.

 

Must Gifts: The Specialty Olive Oils at The Olive Tree

Honorable Mention:  The Wine Gallery also has some good deals on unique wines, and a friendly service staff.  Want unique?  How about Maria’s Unique Foods, with wild selections like jars of pickled eggs in various flavors.  They also have great gift basket ideas.

For all of us that love to buy local when we can, the 2nd Street market is a great place to ‘put your money where your mouth is. ‘  We have mentioned some of our favorites, but there are many more vendors with great gift ideas.  Avoid the crowds SHOP LOCAL!

FOOD ADVENTURES would like to take this time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  May the Holiday Season bring you joyous times with friends and family.  We are sincerely grateful with the overwhelming feedback received with our blog and  have some exciting plans in store for 2014.   We appreciate each and every one of you for taking the time to read and comment on our social media outlets.

Call us if you need a Santa, We don’t even need padding.  Happy shopping !!

Did you know that FOOD ADVENTURES  have a loyal following on Facebook?  CLICK HERE TO “LIKE” THEM and join the party !

Please comment below on our photo albums, no borrowed stock photos or copied pinterest pics here!  All photos are original, like us!

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Sundried Tomato Parmesan Garlic Olive Oil
Sundried Tomato Parmesan Garlic Olive Oil

50 Shades of Sweet Nothings

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Chocolate Balsamic Cakes from Sweet Nothings

Chocolate Balsamic Cakes from Sweet Nothings

About six years ago I fell in love with the smells and taste of Indian cuisine and tentatively began cooking it on my own. This was my first foray into the kitchen and I enjoyed the adventure of tracking down items such as tamarind paste, kaffir lime leaves and whole cardamom pods. As word of my new hobby spread, people began giving me cook books as gifts. At the entreaty of my boyfriend (now my husband), I began to half-heartedly explore the world of desserts until the day I found a baking book with three beautiful miniature cakes on its cover, each dripping with pristine white glaze, sugared raspberries nestled on top. They looked perfect and beautiful, and looking back the appeal that I found in them makes perfect sense to anyone who knows me, as they all realized I was a *bit* of a perfectionist way before I did.

I had not realized that baking was a science and once I did I could not step away from my oven. I started poring over books about pastry theory and technique, and would look for excuses to bake. I initially started by adapting recipes until I got each recipe just so, just right. I am very particular about texture and I kept experimenting until I was satisfied, with all the iterations going into the office for someone else to eat. When I changed jobs one of my old coworkers told my husband, “tell Sarah we miss her.” Then they added, “and we really miss her cakes.”

Shortly thereafter I married my husband and we honeymooned in Hawaii. I created the toffee originally as an homage to that gorgeous state, as it is the only state that has the correct climate to grow vanilla (although it does not do so commercially); and sugar and macadamias are two of its largest exports. (Someday I will find a use for those heavenly pineapples too). The precision required for sugar work was even more intriguing than the cakes and cookies, although I love them all.

The most fun I have is creating unique products, confections with flair. I think that salt, as an ingredient, is woefully underrated and can successfully pique a flavor without seeming salty at all. I see no reason why truffles should be limited to chocolates and sandwich the ganache between cookies instead. I like bundt cakes that maintain perfect sliceability but fall apart in your mouth with a texture like velvet. My feeling is this:  if one is going to indulge the experience should be so exquisite, the ingredients so good, that it eradicates later regret. It should be completely worth it. To that end all products are made from scratch, to order, with the best ingredients possible. I do not ever use corn syrup, I use no additives or preservatives; instead I have built a selection with ingredients such as sweet cream butter, real cream, honey, sea salt, whole vanilla beans, Penzey’s spices, and fresh nuts. One customer told me, “You do not realize how the cake is going to taste by looking at it. I put it in my mouth and could taste the purity of the ingredients.”

– Sarah Thieben, Sweet Nothings

50 Shades of Sweet Event

DSC_1057This Wednesday and Thursday (2/13, 2/14), Sweet Nothings will be presenting their second annual pop-up bakery event 50 Shades of Sweet hosted by Get Dressed! Boutique of Oakwood.  Available Valentine’s Day packages include:

  • For the classic Valentine:  an all white layer cake frosted  with a delicate strawberry meringue buttercream and white chocolate roses.  $30
  • For the adventurous Valentine: a Deep Chocolate Torte, nearly flourless, spiked with chocolate balsamic sauce, covered with white chocolate roses.  $35
  • 50 Shades Signature Almond Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie assortment (silver and grey color palette, nylon rope
    enclosure) $18
  • “Vanilla Valentine” Signature Almond Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie assortment (elegant pale pinks and red hearts) $18
  • Platinum Brownies: half a dozen of the best brownies you’ve ever had. Seriously.  Chewy, chocolatey, & topped with whipped buttercream and pink sea salt.
  • 1lb gift box Milk Chocolate Macadamia Toffee. Our best seller dressed in its Valentine’s best. $21
  • Initiation Sampler pack: Two ounces each of all 9 flavors of Sea Salt Toffees, packaged in a gift box bound with a knotted enclosure. What you do with the rope is up to you. $30
  • Limited Edition Couples’ Pack: Two of Sweet Nothings signature Platinum Brownies with 2 medium and 2 miniature sugar cookies. $17

Dessert Alert! Sweet Treats Festival Recap

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A Beautiful Cake from Kinder’s Kupcakes

It was a dessert lovers playground and a chocoholics dream.  We give you Dayton’s first ever “Sweet Treats Festival.”   Held at The Commander Aero Building in Springboro on Sunday January 27th, the event drew a nice crowd on this winter afternoon. There were confectioners, bakers, chefs and restaurateurs.   In fact over 30 vendors participated in the Sweet Treats Festival.   Every vendor booth had samples set out of various “sweet treat” specialties.   Festival goers could browse each display and sample to their heart’s content.  What a  surprise, the “foodies in their forties,”  The Food Adventures Crew tasted treats from each and every booth.   A few days later, the Food Adventurers are out of their sugar comas and here with a recap of the day’s festivities!

You know the old saying “Like a kid in a candy store?”  Well, here you had us BIG kids in a sweets festival which is a dangerous combination.  Sponsored in part by Dayton Most Metro, the festival featured some amazing displays that would have impressed Willy Wonka.

Junebug’s Cupcakes- deliciously decorated treats

Each vendor booth was set up in a circular setting to allow easy flow of the hungry crowd.  There were some many sweets and such talented people.  Below are the festival vendors and our impressions of each company.

  • 3 Leees Cupcakery – Incredible tasting desserts.  Some choices were vegan and gluten free.  Some of the best tasting cupcakes we tried.
  • Aim To Please Home Cooking – Specializing in various unique flavors of delicious rock candy and more.
  • Amy Cakes & Cookies– Some of the tastiest “cake pops” you will have and delicious cupcakes.
  • Baked – The friendly staff served up some very complex cupcake flavors that blew us away.
  • Cake, Hope & Love – Wonderful “chocolate mustaches” were a hit with the kids.  We loved the gorgeous cupcake display with beautiful toppings.
  • Cheryl & Co. – Turning sugar cookies into works of art.  The staff could not have been nicer.
  • Dee Dee’s Gourmet Peanut Brittle – Generous samples of delicious peanut brittle that seemed to melt in your mouth
  • Edible Arrangments – About as healthy as you can get at this festival.  The chocolate covered apples were a nice twist.
  • ele Cake Co – A Dayton Icon whose chocolate covered cake bites are a perfect gift to get your Valentine drooling.

    “Over The Top Productions” had some inventive displays

  • Homemade by Heather– Amazing mini-pies, made just for this festival.  Full sizes on sale for full blown taste!
  • JuneBug’s Cupcakes– Icing decor on these cupcakes were matched by a rich tasting cake.
  • Kilwins – Located at the Greene, this vendor had a huge variety of top notch items including hand dipped caramel/chocolate apples.
  • Kinders Cupcakes – Not only did they have fantastic cupcakes, but their two display cakes were the most gorgeous in the house.
  • LongHorn Steakhouse– Local kitchen chefs have kicked up this restaurant.  They Key Lime cheesecake, apple strudel and chocolate brownies were homemade and not “chain” like.
  • Maria’s Buckeyes– The richest buckeyes ever.  Good eats, nice owner !
  • Moore Dessert Please – Local celebs from “Cupcake Wars” didn’t dissapoint with some mouthwatering cupcake treat.
  • Over The Top Productions–  Arguably the best display of the event. The decor was unique as they specialize in weddings and party events.
  • Sweet By Kristy– Cupcakes with ice cream in the middle. Genius!  One of the most popular items at the event and created a lot of buzz like birthday cake and ice cream all in one.
  • Sweet Eats Bake Shop – Intricately topped cupcakes led to creamy tastes across the board with this baker!
  • Sweet Nothings– Hands down, the best toffee we have ever eaten.  All flavors of the sea salt toffee are addicting!
  • The Rustic Loaf & Patisserie– From the chocolate crunch cake pops, to the cupcakes that looked like royalty.  These bites were eye pleasers and mouth pleasers!

    Cupcake Display from “Cake, Hope & Love”

  • Signature Confections– What can you say about chocolate that sometimes takes 3 days to make?  Unique flavors such as Crown Royal, Khalua, Raspberry Guiness, Chai Tea, and Earl Grey Tea.  The painted pieces of chocolate belong in an art museum if they weren’t so tasty.
  • Two Bears Chocolates – They featured homemade caramels dipped in Boston Stoker’s Highlander Grogg Coffee.  the Big Ragu said it was the best flavored caramel he has ever eaten.  We loved the local twist on taste!
  • Winans Fine Chocolate– Some of the best turtle bark in the world.  We found ourselves overstaying our welcome at the sample dish.

Special thanks to The new Austin Landing Kroger for sponsoring the event.  Other sponsors included Tim Horton’s who provided coffee, while Aquafina supplied free bottled water.

All of the desserts were scrumptious, and with each vendor having numerous desserts.   There were over 100 sweet treats to choose from, and we got our taste buds on almost every delicacy.  Your Food Adventurers had some favorites that stood out from the pack.
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The handpainted Candies from “Signature Confections” were nothing short of amazing

In our humble opinion, here were our picks:
Food Adventure’s Top 5 Favorite Items:
1) The Hazelnut Pistachio Cupcakes from Baked.  We ate way too many of these !
2) White Chocolate Ginger Pistachio Sea Salt Toffee   from Sweet Nothings.  This incredible treat may be purchased at 2nd Street Market and Ghostlight Coffee
3) The Ice Cream Cupcakes from Sweet by Kristy
4) The Hand Painted Chocolates from Signature Confections
5) Red Velvet Pops from RSVP Sweet Treats
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The Big Ragu’s Top 5 Favorite Items:
1) Highlander Grogg Coffee Caramels from Two Bears Chocolates
2) The Baked Apple Strudel with carmel sauce from Longhorn Steakhouse and Chef Bob Medlin
3) Chocolate Carmel Nut Bars from Sweet Eats Bake Shop
4) The Mini-Pecan Pies from Homemade by Heather
5) Hand Pulled Peanut Brittle from Dee Dee’s

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Highlander Grogg Caramels from “Two Bears Chocolates”

As the festival ended, we were stuffed with confections.  We had starved ourselves the whole day in anticipation for the event, and now we were going to sleep well.  From meeting local culinary masters to tasting their masterpieces, The Sweet Treats Festival was a full blown Food Adventure.  From the rich tastes to the sugar rush, the 3 hour event gave everyone more than enough time to get a feel for the desserts of the Dayton area.
In the end, sweet tooths were satisfied and blood glucose levels were raised.  The festival attendees were introduced to many local bakers and chefs for the first time.  From Hazelnut Pistachio Cupcakes to Chocolate Covered Fruit, this first ever Sweet Treats Festival seems to have a promising future for years to come.
Did you get a chance to visit the Sweet Treats Festival ?  If so, please comment below and tell us your favorite treats!  Also, make sure you browse through the nearly 50 photos below.  The view is simply divine…
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