The Great American Food and Music Festival

On Sunday, I ate the following:

• A Fried Scallop PoBoy


• BBQ Nachos with Pork


• An Ice Cream Sunday with caramel sauce, gummy bears and chocolate chips (the only thing I didn't get a picture of)


• Duck, Goat Cheese and Onion Jam Grilled Cheese


• An assortment of Chocolate, Caramel, Peanut Butter and Lavendar Turtles


• A Cheesesteak with Peppers


• A Pork Boudin


• An assortment of Double Chocolate, Red Velvet, Coconut and Carrot Cake Cupcakes


• Cinnamon and Sugar Churros

I should get a prize for stamena! Where all did I eat this delicious extravagant feast?

THE GREAT AMERICAN FOOD AND MUSIC FESTIVAL!

Spice, our friend Kali, and I embarked on a journey this past Sunday to Secaucus, New Jersey for this great day full of food! We were championship eaters, stuffing food in our faces immediately after arriving and leaving with  churros and cupcakes in our hands about 9 hours later! This was the first annual Food and Music Fest and we can't wait for next year!

We started our day heading to Jersey on the train. The Secaucus stop was about a 10 minute train ride, so we were there in no time! From there we hoped on a (free) shuttle bus to The Meadowlands Stadium (where The Superbowl will be in 2014).



Immediately upon arriving, Spice high-tailed it to the Scallop Puboy booth and within seconds was staring at a masterpeice. This was by far my favorite thing at the Festival! On a long loaf of crusty french bed nestled a family of fried scallops over tomatoes and topped with a mango, sweet corn rumelade. Whew! We wolfed that down in .03 seconds! They had several other sandwiches that we didn't get a chance to try but I'm sure were almost as good.

As we made our way to the end of the food tents, surveying the options for the day while eating our PuBoy, we came across BBQ Pork Nachos. We quickly stuffed the rest of the scallops in our mouths and got in line for Nachos!



The Nachos were at "The Neely's" tent, who we also got to see later on stage. The nachos were smothered with BBQ sauce and cheese with a generous mound of BBQ pork peeking out between chips. I commented that the only thing that could make them better was real cheese, but Spice and Kali concurred that there is something about that processed stadium liquid-cheese that can't be beat!

From there we made our way to the main stage on the field where they were getting ready for a talk about finding great local food. Sign us up! Handily, right next to the stage was a HUGE ice cream sundae stand. We shoved people aside, stepped on their toes and made our way to the front of the line, where we each got our own flavor ice cream, sauce and toppings. I was too busy shoving my face in my sundae to take a picture. Somehow I managed to take pictures of everything else before devouring, but the number one priority for the sundae was apparently to get in my belly. We took our treats into the stands to watch The Neely's from Food Network make Catfish and Hush Puppies.



Unfortunately, it began raining after The Neely's demonstation, so everyone went undercover to wait it out. But not without food! We managed to brave the beginning of the storm for a few hot wings! Which were so full of spice I just about died (from enjoyment, obviously)! Good thing we had water!

Luckily, after a little waiting, we were given panchos! Spice and Kali rocked the pancho look (duh) and we braved the elements for more food (suprise surprise!).

As soon as Kali spotted the Turtles booth, she squeeled with delight and said that her family made them every year for Christmas! Of course, we HAD to try some! We ended up with a Lavendar and Fleur de Sel Turtle, a Peanut Butter and Cayenne Turtle, and Milk and Dark Chocolate Turtles. I think my favorite was the Lavendar and Fleur de Sel! So many great flavors in one bite!



Next up was the most extravagant grilled cheese I have ever seen! It was a Duck, Goat Cheese and Onion Jam Grilled Cheese. I thought my tastebuds had died and gone to heaven! I have to say that now I like duck, I guess! I thought the combo of flavors and textures were perfect and this was my second favorite at the Festival! Kali and Spice disagreed, but I'll get to their second pick in a second.

One of the great things about the Festival was the debit cards they used. You could buy a card for $10, $20, $40 or $100 to be used at all the food stands that acts, more or less, like a debit card. It was nice not to have to get cash out for each purchase.



I already told you about The Neely's being at the Festival, but there were SO many more Food Network stars there!

• Tom Colicchio, from Top Chef, made mussels and a pork roast.


• Duff Goldman, from Ace of Cakes, decorated a burger cake with his team.


• and Paula Deen!!!!, who basically talked to the crowd and answered questions while a chef behind her made pork chops and stuffed zucchini. Love her!

Paula Deen was our last stop of the day, and of course, we couldn't watch her without snacks. We ended up with probably the best Cheesesteak I have ever had. The meat was so tender it was almost ground and it had the perfect blend of spices in it. I've even had Cheesesteaks in Philly and this surpassed those! This was Spice and Kali's second favorite instead of the grilled cheese.

We also ate a Pork Boudin. I had never heard of this, but Kali had eaten them before at home in Texas. They are basically a sausage with meat and rice and quite a kick to it. We all enjoyed our Pork Boudin and I'm so glad I know what one is now!



After Paula Deen, we just had to try the cupcakes! We got one of each: Chocolate, Red Velvet, Carrot Cake and Coconut. Delicious! Although our stomach's were overflowing, we still had a few dollars left on one of our cards. With our bartering faces on, we negotiated  a plate of Churros for $3! Because heaven forbid we leave without trying them! =)

Spice, Kali and I had such a great day and can't wait for next summer to come back for a day of eating!