Christmas at the Forum

Recently I went to my first (of many to come) trip to Christmas at the Forum. I was doing an article for Foodtv's Food for Thought about the Christmas Craft Fair. The truth is, after not finding much food to rave about at the Maritime Fall Festival or the Apple Blossom & Blueberry Festivals, I wasn't very hopeful.

Wow! Was I wrong. In fact there were more food booths and many more tasty dishes to eat than I've ever experienced at any event not specifically food focused. So I thought I'd share some of the photos I took (with a short description) that didn't make it into the Christmas at the Forum article....

Robertson's Candy booth looked like jewels and really brought me back to my childhood and I'm Jewish!

Of course I had to buy some sponge toffee immediately and gobbled it up all by myself. When I was a kid and my father would buy some (only in the Fall, come to think of it). It was a big deal. My sister and brother and I would analyze the packages on the table and fight over the one with the most aerated parts (that's the thick golden holey centers). This time, I didn't have to do any sharing!

Another spot that brought me back to my mother's kitchen was Susie's Shortbreads.

Shortbread with a Maraschino Cherry in the center was one of my mother's signature cookies. Hers were always perfectly shaped, unlike mine which, at least taste like hers.

Katie's Farm is an organic dog bakery (they do feed cats too) with such lovely looking goodies I was tempted to eat some myself .

I love teas...green, black, blends, herbals...and I miss The Tea Emporium in Toronto, but now I've found another from Moncton, NB. Cargo & James. I do hope I can find some shops here in Halifax that sell them. Their packaging is awesome and the variety...well, the wall you see here is only half their display!

Even though I started with the sweets, I'm really more of a savory girl and Char's had some interesting dried herb blends, dips and oils that were very tasty.

Another booth I enjoyed visiting was Epicure Selections. They not only had tasty treats, but kitchen toys as well. And they do Tasting Parties in your home - what fun!

I could go on and on, because there were so many tasty treats to choose from and I haven't even shared my wanderings through the scrumptious snacking section. Don't those perogis look fantastic? They were!

Last stupid story....My camera's memory card got filled up before I could capture the stunning cheesecakes at D.R.E.A.M. They were tiny bite sized confections topped with appropriate, jams, nuts and whipped creams. Dozens of varieties to choose from so I did the only thing I could - I decided to at least take home a container of 4 (Pistachio, Black Forest, Caramel and ...I don't remember) so that I could take some photos to share with you. I managed the crowd at the Forum by keeping my elbows out to block any accidental bumps and carefully placed the container on the seat beside me in the car, driving ridiculously slowly so it wouldn't fall off the seat. Parked the car and carefully reached for the box...so far, so good. Then it happened...I hit my elbow on the door and the container fell to the ground...upside down, naturally!!! Oh well, no photos, but they certainly did taste good!

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