One brand new coffee shop, Quantum Bean Coffee, has opened up in the South Park/Greenmont neighborhood of Morgantown.
These folks have been producing coffee for some time now, but their shop is new.
Quantum Bean Coffee is a Micro Roaster of specialty coffee in the hills of West Virginia. We are focused on bringing the freshest and finest specialty coffee to the area. We take great care in sourcing our coffees responsibly and building relationships with the farmers of our coffees.
Lots of locally crafted artwork and jewelry are available in the shop. How cool is that?
I ordered an Americano with a shot of caramel.
Have you been?
Food trucks are always super exciting to me, and a new one serving up pho and banh mi has entered the Morgantown scene.
3-0-PHO to Go is such a clever name, and they are finding their way all over town.
The combos are a good way to try a few different items. I ordered "The Pho Sho," which is half a banh mi and a small pho plus a water.
It gets all packaged up and ready to go. Pho plus sauces & lime.
And banh mi!
Have you tried it?
The Mountaineer Taphouse is a new addition to the Evansdale Campus - in a completely new building near the new University Park. Lots of new in Evansdale.
The location is actually on the second floor, so you enter near the convenience store and either take the stairs or elevator up - passing a cheeky pirate along the way.
The inside has wood paneling, exposed metal duct work and a large bar.
And the dining space expanded outside to a nice deck area, too.
The menu has some standard bar features like fried appetizers, wings, and burgers. It also adds flatbreads, pizzas, paninis, and sandwiches.
We ended up starting with an appetizer of "Tap House Chips," which was bleu cheese fondue topped with bacon bits, red onion, cherry tomatoes, finished with balsamic drizzle.
For my entree, I ordered the caprese panini and a side of macaroni & cheese.
Have you been?
My latest column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail:
-->
What
is West Virginia’s signature dessert?
By Candace Nelson
We know the pepperoni roll is the unofficial
state food of West Virginia.
The savory snack has roots in our coal mining
history, so it’s a natural fit as our culinary totem. Not to mention, it’s the
ultimate crowd-pleaser with its versatile ability to be a full meal or roadtrip
companion. Wedding favors or ballpark food. Bakery staple or school lunch. It’s
everywhere.
But when the sweet tooth comes calling, how do
West Virginians answer? What is West Virginia’s sweet treat equivalent of the
pepperoni roll? Is there a dessert that is deeply ingrained in our culture?
It has to be something iconic and found all
over the state. Maybe something made from fruits that are grown in West
Virginia or maybe a saccharine dish that you can find at celebrations. Or maybe
just something that elicits fond memories.
Ohio has its buckeyes (delicious peanut butter balls dipped in
chocolate), Florida has key lime pie (a sweet, tart no-bake dish), and Massachusetts
has Boston cream pie (a round,
two-layer cake filled with custard and frosted with chocolate). Alaska has baked Alaska (a heap of
ice cream and cake topped with browned meringue), New York has cheesecake
(mmm), and the list goes on.
What would we name as West Virginia’s signature
dessert?
This was a question posed recently by my friend
Ann Ali Semenik, who threw her support behind “no bake cookies” – or peanut
butter oat cookies, as her gram would call them. No bake cookies combine cocoa,
peanut butter and oatmeal to create a quick, tasty cookie without using the
oven. These cookies are the sweet treat she most closely associates with our
state.
That’s certainly one option with some hefty
support. Other friends and family have voiced their opinion to me. And a bevy
of media outlets have also tried to answer that question, too. But before we
get into some possibilities, let’s set some ground rules:
RULES – It can’t be apple pie, because America
has already claimed that for everyone. And, it can’t be a brand or a dessert
only found at a specific restaurant/bakery. So, no strawberry pie at Jim’s
Steak and Spaghetti House or humongous banana split at The Poky Dot or
blueberry buttermilk pie at Bluegrass Kitchen.
Shoofly
Pie
Both Slate’s
“The United Sweets of America” and PopSugar’s
“Taste the States: 50 Iconic American Desserts” designed Shoofly Pie for West Virginia.
The sweet, sticky pie attracts flies that need to be shooed away. Molasses pie
appears to be invented by the Pennsylvania Dutch, but since “molasses is a
beloved ingredient throughout Appalachia,” it earned West Virginia’s selection.
Indeed, the West Virginia Molasses Festival is held every September in
Arnoldsburg since 1967.
Molasses Cookies
In
the same vein, The Daily Meal named
molasses cookies as West Virginia’s favorite. Complete with sugar, ginger, and
molasses, these chewy cookies are apparently very popular here.
Sugar Cookie
Business Insider claims West Virginia’s best dessert is a classic
sugar cookie. While this is probably true for many states, there’s nothing that
specifically screams “West Virginia” here.
Apple Butter
This
Appalachian favorite certainly has a strong case. Not only is it made from our
state fruit, but it’s so versatile: slather it on toast, layer it between slabs
of cake, eat it with a spoon. And, there are festivals in its honor.
No Bake Cookies
Like
my friend Ann, Genius Kitchen claimed
West Virginia’s state dessert should be peanut butter no bake cookies. Others
chimed in with this option, too, calling them “cow patties” or “oat cookies.”
Long, Filled Donuts
Donut
shops from the Northern Panhandle to the southern coalfields sell a specialty
donut that is long, split in the center and filled with cream. In Charleston,
Spring Hill Pastry Shop sells their “hot dogs.” In Moundsville, Quality Bake
Shoppe bakes their “mad dogs.” It’s a thing.
Potato Candy
Potato Candy originated in the South
during the Great Depression; the treat was affordable and only called for a few
ingredients. And, yes, it does actually contain potato.
Pawpaw Ice Cream
Drawing
on the Appalachia fruit, paw paw ice cream is a cool, unique option for
signature state dessert. But, the versatility isn’t there and it’s not quite as
ubiquitous as some of the other options.
Apple Dumplings
This
homestyle dessert can certainly be found all over. And, it can incorporate our
state apples in a bit of a different way. West Virginia is home to not one, but
two different apple varieties: Golden Delicious and Grimes Golden. Apple
dumplings may not be uniquely West Virginia, but it’s hard to deny this
contender.
What do you think is West Virginia’s signature
dessert?
Candace Nelson is a marketing professional living in Charleston,
W.Va. She is the author of the book “The West Virginia Pepperoni Roll” from WVU
Press. In her free time, Nelson blogs about Appalachian food culture at
CandaceLately.com. Find her on Twitter at @Candace07 or email CandaceRNelson@gmail.com.
RECIPE:
Peanut Butter Oat Cookies
Based on a recipe from the Food Network, these peanut butter oat
cookies from Ann Ali Semenik are reminiscent of her gram. Just be sure to seal
them in Tupperware in the refrigerator after they’ve set up, too.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups sugar
½ cup milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of brown sugar
DIRECTIONS
Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Bring the sugar, milk, butter
and cocoa to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Let
boil for one minute. Remove from the heat and add oats, peanut butter, vanilla,
brown sugar and salt. Stir to combine. Using a table spoon, drop spoonfuls of
the cookie mixture onto the baking sheet, and let sit at room temperature until
cooled. They will sit up after about 30 minutes. Refrigerate in an airtight
container for up to 3 days.
All work property of Candace Nelson. Powered by Blogger.
