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You are here: Home / Archives for Kentucky Food reviews

Contea from John Conti: Kentucky Proud and Delicious

October 7, 2015 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Contea Iced Tea from John Conti

Contea Tea Bags, from John Conti

One of my favorite places in Owensboro is Nona’s Downtown Market. The beautiful market is filled with delicious Kentucky food and gifts – “local pride” fills the air and it’s a beautiful thing. It seems that each time I go, I see something new. Seriously, I’m half certain little Kentucky elves restock the shelves each night.

I recently bought a big box of John Conti Tea, cleverly called Contea. Iced tea is an obsession with me, so the big beautiful box more or less just flew off the shelf at me. It had “me” written all over it..

  • tea
  • Kentucky Proud (based in Louisville)
  • the box is purple – my favorite color!

I’ve loved John Conti coffee for as long as I can remember and, each time I have coffee at a Kentucky State Resort Park, I thank God for the fact that they’re smart enough to serve John Conti coffee.

I honestly had no idea they made tea, but as soon as I saw the word “Contea,” I knew I was looking at John Conti tea and automatically knew it’d be special.

The box I bought was the sort of box you’d expect a Crazy Tea Chick to buy – big… gloriously big. This box had 24 Family Size Tea Bags (translated: HUGE) and it honestly seemed to last forever… even for me.

Contea Iced Tea Bags

Contea – Delicious Iced and Hot

While the box says “Premium Fresh Brew Iced Tea,” it does, of course, make excellent hot tea too. The iced tea is refreshingly delicious and the hot tea is some of the best hot tea I’ve ever enjoyed – and, come on now, anyone with a tea blog called “Crazy Tea Chick” knows her tea!

As with a lot of Made in Kentucky foods, I buy them the FIRST time because, like me, they’re Kentuckian and proud of it.  I buy them the SECOND time because they are outstanding. Many times, I’ll run into a particular Kentucky Made product that becomes my “go to”  brand – such as Trifecta Barbecue Sauce. I buy it each time I need barbecue sauce because, quite frankly, it tastes the best!

While (unfortunately) Contea isn’t in grocery stores, I will go out of my way to find it. It’s just that good.

Besides, I’m not gonna lie, I’m pretty wild about the purple box.

You can find where to buy John Conti Coffee and Contea on John Conti’s website.

John Conti Contea Tea

Filed Under: Kentucky Food, Reviews Tagged With: Contea, John Conti, Kentucky food, Kentucky Food reviews, Kentucky products, Kentucky Proud

Kentucky’s Own Trifecta Barbecue Sauce

April 22, 2015 by Joi Sigers 2 Comments

Trifecta Sweet Heat Barbecue Sauce

Trifecta’s Sweet Heat Barbecue Sauce – Perfection

You know what a huge fan I am of Kentucky food and all made in Kentucky products. I’ve preached so much about supporting our friends and neighbors that I’m sure I don’t have to step anywhere near my soapbox today.

Because of this overwhelming passion for all things made, baked, cooked, designed, built, and/or crafted in Kentucky, it’s like the highest of all natural highs when I come across something with Kentucky on the label that’s extraordinary.

Fortunately, it happens more than I can even begin to count.

The most recent Kentucky Food to blow my socks off is one of the Trifecta Gourmet Sauces: Sweet Heat Barbecue Sauce. This may just be the best Barbecue Sauce I’ve ever tasted.

{Review continued beneath the picture…}

Trifecta Sweet Heat Barbecue Sauce 2h

Trifecta Sweet Heat Barbecue Sauce

We eat an uncommon amount of barbecue and have gone through enough barbecue sauce bottles to fill a small lake. We live in Owensboro, after all, how could we NOT be obsessed with barbecue?!

Barbecue chicken, brisket, and pork are our favorites but we’ve also recently fallen deeply in love with barbecued ham.  I also use barbecue sauce in my homemade baked beans.

So, as you’d imagine, we are beyond particular when it comes to barbecue sauces. After all, think about it – that’ where most barbecued meat truly gets its flavor from.

Before I found Trifecta, I went back and forth between a few of the major brands. After having to give up gluten/wheat, I had to check each label carefully and weed out any sauces that didn’t say Gluten Free on the label.  That left me with about 3 really, really good sauces.

One day in Kroger, as I was reaching for one of my favorites, a bottled sauce with the words “Gluten Free” on the front caught my eye. I thought, “Whoa… someone’s not making people search all over the label for it, they’re letting them know, literally, up front.”

So, I picked up the bottle to take a closer look.  That’s when I saw the second set of magic words, “Kentucky Perfection.”

INdeed and INto the cart!

Michael was grilling chicken that night, so I knew I wouldn’t have to wait long to try it out.

You know how it is with most barbecue sauces and other condiments – after a while they kind of taste more similar than they do special.  That’s why when you get one that stands out, your taste buds are “taken aback” and do all but squeal out with happiness.

That so happened at the dinner table that night. Trifecta’s Sweet Heat Barbecue Sauce is “say it out loud” delicious.  It’s not one of those things that you taste and think, “Man, this is good.” It’s one of those things that you taste and scream, “Holy cats, this is delicious!” to everyone in the room.

{Review continued beneath the picture…}

Trifecta Sweet Heat Barbecue Sauce Closeup 2

 Trifecta Passes the “Spoon Test!”

When it comes to barbecue sauces, I’m probably about as picky with them as I am my ketchup (Heinz or Hunt’s) and mustard (French’s). I want my barbecue sauce to be a little sweet and it must not, not, not be too thin. I hate the dubious dark liquids that call themselves Barbecue Sauces without earning the title.

Look at the picture above, see how Trifecta’s Sweet Heat Barbecue Sauce clings to the back of my spoon? That’s where the magic is, you know. That’s solid proof that there are ingredients and not dubious dark liquids in play.

Ingredients!

The sauce is as delicious as it is beautiful and I’m over the moon hooked on it. The sweetness is there, in the perfect amount. As for the heat, I was relieved to discover that it isn’t at all overwhelming.  A lot of sauces get carried away with the heat aspect of the deal and seem to think that burn tastes good.

Burn doesn’t taste good. Burn tastes like pain.  Trifecta’s Sweet Heat Barbecue Sauce is the absolute perfect balance of sweetness and heat.  No pain, just perfection. Absolute perfection.

Seriously, it has ruined all other barbecue sauces for me.

Not only is my new favorite barbecue sauce the perfect companion for chicken and pork, it’s delicious in baked beans.

Heck it’s even Heavenly for dipping gluten free cornbread into – or any cornbread for that matter.

Trifecta Gourmet Sauces are made in Louisville Kentucky. They were an American Made 2014 Martha Stewart Finalist which, as far as I’m concerned is highfalutin!

From Trifecta:

Trifecta Gourmet Sauces are Kentucky Proud, made only from the finest ingredients from Kentucky Farms. Buying Kentucky Proud products ensures that you’re eating fresh and nutritious foods while supporting Kentucky’s farm families. Kentucky Proud is an investment in Kentucky’s land, people and its future.

The sauces blend a winning combination of sweet, spicy and tangy flavors. The recipe starts with vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh jalapeno peppers. All natural and gluten free, you won’t find preservatives, artificial colors, synthetic flavors, cornstarch, or high-fructose corn syrup on the list of ingredients.

I noticed on their website that Trifecta has a few sauces I haven’t tried yet… YET. I will give them a try as soon as I get my (oven)mitts on them and will let you know how they are in a future review. In the meantime, head over to Trifecta Gourmet Sauces and read more about the company. Then, make no mistake about it, you’ll want to find a bottle of Trifecta Sweet Heat Barbecue Sauce and see for yourself what barbecue sauce is supposed to taste like.

EDIT: I tried it last night in my favorite Honey Mustard Dip. See the recipe for my Tangy Honey Mustard Dip on my food blog… just replace my “old favorite” sauce with my new favorite sauce and leave out the lemon juice.

Trifecta’s doesn’t need it, thank you very much.

You can actually find Trifecta’s Sweet Heat BBQ Sauce on Amazon – stock up, you’re going to love it!

Also See: Trifecta Barbecue Sauce and Pulled Pork Tacos

Filed Under: Kentucky Food, Reviews Tagged With: Kentucky food, Kentucky Food reviews, Trifecta Barbecue Sauce review

Review: Bourbon Barrel Foods in Louisville, Kentucky…

July 16, 2014 by Joi Sigers Leave a Comment

Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt and Pepper from Bourbon Barrel Foods in Louisville, Kentucky
If you’ve never heard of Bourbon Barrel Foods in Louisville, Kentucky, I hope that this Kentucky Food review will inspire you to acquaint yourself with them.

Immediately.

The canisters pictured above were bought at Nona’s Downtown Market in Owensboro, but Bourbon Barrel Foods are available in a lot of Kentucky cities (click here for the list of Kentucky retailers) as well as other states. You can also shop online for the wide variety of excellent Bourbon Barrel Foods.

Now that we’ve gotten the details out of the way, let me tell you why you’ll want to load up on these flavorful foods.

So far, I’ve tried and thoroughly enjoyed the Bourbon Smoked Pepper, Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt, and Bourbon Smoked Sugar.  To date, I’ve used these flavorful (and uncommonly fragrant!) seasonings on/in…

Bourbon Smoked Pepper and Salt:

  • bacon
  • chicken
  • fried fish
  • grilled hamburgers
  • navy beans
  • baked beans
  • green beans
  • eggs
  • sliced tomatoes

Continued beneath the gorgeous picture below….

Bourbon Smoked Sugar
Bourbon Smoked Sugar:

  • oatmeal
  • waffles
  • hot tea
  • candied bacon (unreal flavor!)
  • sprinkled on fruit
  • cinnamon toast
  • sprinkled on applesauce

I’ve also been shamelessly guilty of dolloping whipped topping on Chai Tea Lattes, Coffee, and Hot Chocolate – then sprinkling some Bourbon Smoked Sugar on top.

Decadence, redefined.

Trust me.

There’s positively no way for me to convey to you the insane flavor these seasonings give food.  Basically they take the ordinary and make it extraordinary.

As a bonus, I love the idea of supporting a Kentucky based business. Absolutely love the idea to distraction.

Do yourself and anyone you cook for a huge favor and check out the Bourbon Barrel Foods website, then hook yourself up with all the flavor your taste buds can handle! I can’t wait to try the Bourbon-Madagascar Vanilla, Bourbon Smoked Vanilla Sugar , Bourbon Smoked Paprika, and Mint Julep Sugar.

Are you kidding me? How delicious must each of these be?!

They also have gift baskets, gift sets, grill wood, and a great looking coffee mug.  The prices are all very reasonable, too, which is another agreeable bonus.

Whatever you do, be sure to grab the salt and pepper – when you introduce the flavors to bacon, you’ll be happy dancing all over the kitchen floor.

Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt and Pepper on Bacon

Filed Under: Kentucky Food, Louisville, Owensboro, Reviews Tagged With: Bourbon Barrel Foods, Kentucky food, Kentucky Food reviews

For a Breakfast You’ll Never Forget: Broadbent’s Applewood Smoked Bacon

May 15, 2013 by Joi Sigers 2 Comments

Broadbent's Hickory Smoked Bacon and Applewood Bacon

Someone recently told me that they were the biggest bacon lover in the world. I thought to myself, “If they haven’t had Broadbent’s bacon, they don’t even realize how great bacon can really be when it puts its mind to it!”

I love bacon as much as anyone – probably more than most, in fact. The first time I went to Broadbent’s Market in Kuttawa, I didn’t even have ham on my mind. Here they are, absolute legends when it comes to country ham and all I could think about was bacon.

We did buy some ham, too, mind you, but we positively loaded up on bacon.  Their amazing foods are available “dry cured,” so you can buy them without worrying about a refrigerator. This means, of course, you can stock up until you’re in the lakes region again.

I’ll be adding more reviews to the website (including country ham that made my buttermilk biscuits cry with joy) over the coming days, but I just had to start the ball rolling with a bacon that blew me out of the water: Broadbent’s Applewood Smoked Bacon.

My mouth’s watering at the memory alone.

As my husband and I were making our way around the market (sometimes we pull a divide and conquer maneuver that serves us well), I grabbed several kinds of bacon that caught my eye and he came up with some country ham and an Applewood Smoked Bacon.  We wanted to try quite a few different varieties, so we bought small packages of each.

I thought he’d done a great job by grabbing the country ham – I’m pretty sure I even gave him a thumb’s up. I really didn’t know what to think about the Applewood Smoked Bacon and certainly didn’t know why he was so proud of his find. But the magic word was on the package, so I just smiled and said good job.  The magic word? Bacon, of course!

I cooked a few of the bacon packages we got the next morning:  A Hickory Smoked Bacon and the Applewood Smoked Bacon.  The smaller packages meant that they’d be beautifully sized for biscuits – so I made up a batch of my buttermilk biscuits. The result was a little something that’d have to be called “Heaven.”

Broadbents Bacon with Bacon Press

Broadbent’s bacon was obviously in a class of its own right off the bat – long before it even came out of the skillet.  It looked better, felt better, and even smelled better than the bacon you find in grocery stores.  It was thick and juicy and filled the house with a delicious aroma. I’m pretty sure even our cats knew that Sunday breakfast meant business.

This bacon even gave my much-loved Bacon Press a job it could feel good about. I’m almost certain the smile on the pig’s face turned up a little higher.

There was something extra-special about the Applewood Smoked bacon. A flavor that I’d never experienced with bacon before.  It knocked my socks off, to be perfectly honest, and after it was all gone, I started imagining all the other scenarios it’d be great in:

  • BLTs
  • Bacon Cheeseburgers
  • Baked Beans
  • Omelets
  • Pigs in a Blanket
  • Etc!

Broadbent's Applewood Bacon

Read more about Broadbent Hams on Genuine Kentucky or visit their website Broadbent Hams for more information.  Better yet, don’t read anything – just jump in the car and head for Kuttawa, Kentucky!

Broadbent B & B Foods
257 Mary Blue Road
Kuttawa, KY 42055
Ph: 800-841-2202
Fx: 270-388-0613

Filed Under: Kentucky Food, Reviews Tagged With: bacon, Broadbent's, Kentucky food, Kentucky Food reviews

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