FOODIE ROAD TRIP - DISCOVERING LEHIGH VALLEY

Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania's slogan is "Buy Fresh Buy Local" so when we decided to take a mini vacay, my plan was to take a road trip through the Lehigh Valley area, stopping along the way to eat, drink, taste and savor. This turned out to be one of the best 2-day road trips we've done.

Our first stop was in Bethlehem, PA also known as Christmas City (http://www.christmascity.org). There are a variety of things to see and experience in Bethlehem, such as the Steel Stacks (http://www.steelstacks.org offering a very interesting history on the steelworkers of the late 1800's), museums and the Sands Casino with three Emeril Lagasse restaurants. I also want to mention the many wineries in Lehigh, however we did not make them part of our trip this time. We have been to the wineries in the past and it is also worth considering!

I was on a food mission so our first stop, Lehigh University Campus, where every Thursday there is a Farmers Market. Much to my delight, there were vendors selling local produce and goods, but what caught my attention was a young Filipino baker selling cakes and pastries I have never eaten before. Especially delicious was a pastry topped‏ with a blend of butter & sugar and filled with cream cheese. We also picked up some pecan sandy cookies and sweet bread to share when we got home.

Moving on, we made our rest stop at the Glasbern Inn (http://www.glasbern.com), an historic Pennsylvania country hotel and restaurant tucked away on a peaceful and secluded 130-acre, 19th-Century farm located in Fogelsville, just west of Bethlehem. I would absolutely recommend the Glasbern to anyone looking to get away for a countryside experience in a pastoral setting. They also have a 5 star restaurant on the grounds.

That evening, we happened along a restaurant called Randall's On The Orchard (http://www.randallsontheorchard.com). The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, the service was top notch and best of all the food was delectable. I had the Broiled Jail Island salmon with citrus caper sauce and my husband had the Medallions of Veal Saltimbocca, sautéed veal topped with prosciutto and mozzarella served with a white wine and sage brown sauce. Chef Randy Maurer uses all fresh local ingredients and I have to say that this was one of the best dining experiences we have had in a long time. 

The next morning we enjoyed our complimentary breakfast at the Glasbern Inn and headed out to Dietrich's Meat Market (http://www.dietrichsmeats.com), an authentic Pennsylvania Dutch butcher shop & country store in Lenhartsville. We left with a cooler filled with hanger steaks, Delmonico steaks, the most beautiful beef short ribs cut to order, a hand tied pork roast, sweet sausage, fresh made pepperoni, horseradish cheese, smoked snack sticks and more! They box and ice it for you and it will last hours on the road. People from all over come and drive their meats home. If you bring in your Dressed Pheasants, Goose Breasts, Ducks, Turkeys and Fish, Dietrich’s will even smoke them for you! I forgot to mention the "right out of the oven" mini pumpkin custard pie that we enjoyed in the car. Yes, I'm dieting this week!

Next stop, Renninger's Market where local merchants and farmer's from Kutztown and its surrounding areas sell their fresh produce, meat, dairy products and more. On any given weekend you can find fresh food, great deals, and hidden treasures at Renninger's Market in Kutztown.

The highlight of our trip was the Chile Pepper Festival in Bowers. The Chile Pepper Festival is held each year the weekend after Labor Day. This event is the largest of its kind anywhere in the United States and is host to chile pepper food, crafts, a Jalapeno eating contest, a salsa contest, a chile pepper field excursion and much more. Tent after tent offers plenty of opportunities to taste, sample and purchase all kinds of chile peppers and items like pepper laced fine chocolates, Mexican chocolate chip cookies with a kick, Hot pepper jellies, hot sauces, rubs, spices, bbq sauces and more. Of course we ate lunch here and shared bbq'd chicken right off the grill, served with baked beans and corn on the cob grilled right in the husk. Sit at one of the picnic tables and try a hot sauce on your chicken!

I will now share with you some of my festival purchases taste tested and highly recommended by me! Many of you already know that I make my own hot pepper jelly and I'm a tough critic. I found two that I thought were fantastic! Mrs. Millers Hot Pepper Jelly and the other is Hot Pepper & Sweet Dreams Candied Jalapenos. Both jellies offer balanced sweet heat with a spicy kick. I also purchased a jar of PatterFam Sweet BBQ Sauce, Chipotle Smoked Jalapeno Peppers and a jar of Sloppy 2nds BBQ Sauce, both to die for! Websites and pages listed below:

http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Millers-Homemade-Pepper-Jelly/dp/B001P0T6CC
http://hotpeppersandsweetdreams.com/Can_Jal.html
http://www.patterfamsauces.com
https://www.facebook.com/thehawghouse

Last stop Allentown Fairgrounds Amish and Farmers Market. Here we purchased some cheeses from Whitman's World Cheese, some chicken croquettes from the Amish stand and other small goodies.

All in all, it was a great trip and I would recommend it to anyone. We are planning on going back closer to the holidays for some special festivities. Anyone interested, I'd be happy to share and post upcoming events.