There have been a few events going on lately that I wanted to capture here on the blog. 

Red Shoe Masquerade
Held as a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern West Virginia, the Red Shoe Masquerade was four floors of fun - and each with different snacks, entertainment and themes. We had a great time - all for a good cause.







Mac & Cheese Cook-Off
This event is a fundraiser for the Childhood Language Center and invites local cooks to bring their tastiest mac & cheese. I'm heartbroken I wasn't asked to judge this year, but I did get to try Capital Insurance's sweet mac, which is one of my all-time favorites! 












Kenova Pumpkin House
The pumpkin house is a whole festival, with vendors up and down the street. There was one that had fried EVERYTHING - cheeseburgers, pineapple, green beans. I went for a tried & true favorite: mushrooms.




Fazio's "Blackened Filet"
While this isn't an event, it's a thing of legend. I've often been told Fazio's has the best filet in town. That may be a bold claim, but I did enjoy it.

Church lady food is a different kind of food. It's made with love and labor, and maybe a little extra elbow grease. That's why, when there are church dinners - whether it's chocolate eggs around Easter or oyster stew for New Year's - I want to see what they're all about. 



Saint George Antichochian Orthodox Cathedral holds a Lebanese/Middle Eastern annual dinner as a fundraiser that welcomes the entire community to join. 



The dinner is available for dine-in, takeout, or curbside delivery. I opted for curbside. The meal consisted of handmade Kibbie ground meat and what), Yabrah (cabbage rolls), Loobia Bunadoora (green beans in tomato sauce), Rooz B' Shareeyee (buttered rice with orzo), Salata (salad with oil and lemon dressing), Baklawa (multi-layered fillo and nuts) and pita bread). 



I love that they're continuing to share these traditions, and I get to enjoy the fruits of the labor - all for just $20. 

The Seneca Center in Morgantown has changed pretty significantly over the last couple years. Since the last time I was there, there has been a huge addition and a few new businesses. Let's check out one of them: Brownie House.



"Brownie House was created by Karen Higgins in 2005. It started with a family recipe in her home kitchen, and it quickly transformed into a busy e-commerce business with a popular bakery and storefront in Morgantown, West Virginia. The gourmet brownie bakery was closed several years later. However, nearly fifteen years later, Karen and her oldest son, Christian, rebranded and reopened Brownie House! The decision to reopen was an easy one for them, and they left their professional careers behind to pursue their passion for baking and growing the family business as a mother-son duo. Brownie House is now veteran-owned, family-operated, and a proud West Virginia business.

Brownie House is famous for its “BIG” gourmet brownies which are chunky, fudgy, cakey, and typically weigh over a quarter pound each (that’s a LOT of chocolate)! Brownie House Brownies are cut and wrapped by hand in two sizes— “BIG” and “Traditional”. New gourmet brownies and blondies are regularly added to the Brownie House menu, including gluten-free brownies that are baked with locally sourced buckwheat from a farm in West Virginia! To make it even better, the brownies are available for nationwide shipping! What makes Brownie House Brownies so darn good? Well, they’re baked with imported premium cocoa powder and dark chocolate, homemade or otherwise high-quality ingredients, and never with artificial preservatives. They are uniquely rich, fudgy, and cakey, and they are truly one of a kind. Most importantly, they’re baked and packaged with love!"



The branding and set-up of this shop is cute. I'm a fan. My only gripe is that all of the brownies are dark chocolate.



So I tried my luck anyway with a coconut white chocolate blondie and a caramel indulgence. 



I'm not a huge fan of coconut, but it wasn't overwhelming in this blondie. And, the flavors worked well together and it's certainly a bit sweeter than the dark chocolate counterparts.



I love everything caramel, but dark chocolate is just a bit too bitter for me. For many, though, the dark chocolate probably balances out the sweet caramel. I want to keep an eye on their monthly specials and see if I can find one that is right up my alley.



Grade: B

Pop The Soda Shop is a new restaurant in Morgantown that focuses on one main thing: pop. Or, soda. Or coke, if you will.  



Specifically, these folks are creating hand-crafted sodas from mixing cola or lemon-lime bases with all sorts of other flavors, like cream, strawberry, peach puree and more. There are also energy drinks, milk shakes and more. They have a few snacks on hand, like pepperoni rolls. 



When I walked in, I was overwhelmed by the menu (maybe do your homework before coming), but it wasn't busy and I took my time. The service could benefit from some more experience, but they'll get there. I went with a pineapple upside down cake, which had cola, pineapple, cherry and cream. 



It really was quite tasty. I like it better than just a regular cola, which can seem a bit much sometimes. The fruit and cream seem to mellow out the flavors. My issue is - I don't really know when I would come here? Maybe if you're next door at the BBQ place, but otherwise, I'm not sure I would go to a place just to get a soda. I hope I'm wrong and they find a cool, niche audience. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Grade: B

While driving through Beckley, I saw The Bumbler Bee Baker - The Cake Box set up alongside the road.



I couldn't resist that sprinkled truck, so I stopped to check out what was up for sale. There were plenty of cupcakes, cinnamon rolls and pepperoni rolls.



The one that stuck out to me, though, was the "What Not Cup." It was a layered dessert with almond cake, cream and strawberry puree. This is really a smart idea for any cupcakes that may not turn out right - just crumble them up for a whole different dessert. And, I liked this even more than a traditional dessert - it's all contained, easier to eat and I get to decide how much of each component I want in each bite. The cream and strawberry were on point. I do think the cake portion was a bit dry, so some moisture there would've made this perfect. 



Grade: B