Three years ago, Kids Food Festival was launched to help fight childhood obesity. The concept: fun and flavorful family activities that help kids learn about balanced food choices.

The next Kids Food Festival will be held at Union Market in Washington, D.C. on Saturday and Sunday November, 2nd and 3rd, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

That’s right after the kids have gorged themselves on Halloween candy. It’s a teaching moment.

If you’re in the greater D.C. area, take the kids to this fun, delicious and unique event.
Activities include:

General admission is free. You do need to purchase tickets for hands-on cooking classes programmed by the James Beard Foundation ($25 plus $2.37 Eventbrite service charge).
For more information, and to inquire about bringing Kids Food Festival to your area, visit KidsFoodFestival.com.

Join the conversation on Twitter @KidsFoodFestFun and at @UnionMarketDC hashtag #KFF

Originally developed as a squeezable, shelf stable, organic line for babies and toddlers, Happy Family products have developed to please the whole family, including kids, teens and grown-ups.

The company has launched three new Happy Squeeze varieties for kids and adults: Happy Squeeze Greek Yogurt pouches in Peachy Keen, Razzleberry and Super Strawberry.

The squeeze yogurt pouches require no refrigeration and can be tossed into backpacks, gym bags, desk drawers, glove compartments and the like.

For harvest season, check out Happy Squeeze TREAT Caramel Apple pouch.

Whether you’re a candy-free household or simply seeking better-for-you treats, these guilt-free pouches, which are available year-round, provide the alternative caramel apple experience.

Each pouch has just 100 calories, contains half cup of fruit and is an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D. Each pouch delivers two grams of protein, as well.

Made with only the best organic ingredients, Happy Squeeze is all natural, certified USDA organic, gluten free and certified kosher dairy by OU.
The suggested retail price is $1.79 per pouch. Learn more at HappyFamilyBrands.com.
  

If you like coffee and tequila, Cabo Diablo, which is just rolling out now, combines a coffee punch with a tequila kick. If you haven’t yet connected the dots, it’s from the folks who make Cabo Wabo tequila.

In addition to celebrating today, bring Cabo Diablo with you to a Halloween party—perhaps wearing devil horns and ears.

Enjoy it in chilled shots or in hot coffee—a devilish cup of Joe for All Hallow’s Eve.

We’ve also poured it over coffee and vanilla ice cream. Pretty nifty!

Smooth and silky, with notes of rich roasted coffee, vanilla and chocolate, it complements other desserts, and is dessert enough on its own. There are sweet notes of honey and blue agave, with some hints of spicy black pepper.

The coffee liqueur base is made with the highest quality Arabica beans, blended with Cabo Wabo Blanco Tequila (100% blue weber agave).

The bottle sports a unique, color-changing label. When you chill the bottle, a devilish surprise appears (no spoiler here!).

Cabo Wabo Tequila was founded by the devilish rebel rocker, Sammy Hagar (who replaced David Lee Roth as the lead singer of Van Halen in 1985). You can bet that the Red Rocker has downed at least a few.

The 35% ABV Cabo Diablo is currently available in limited release in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Wisconsin. A 750 ml bottle is $22.99.

Learn more at Facebook.com/cabodiablo or @cabodiablo.

But did you know that you can flavor your own, using plain black, green, white or rooibos teas? Just look around your kitchen for things to infuse:

You can buy flavored tea, or infuse different ingredients into plain tea. Photo courtesy Republic of Tea.

1. With a spice ball. We prefer the new twist-and-lock spice ball style.

2. Loose. If you don’t have a spice ball, just infuse all of the ingredients in a large measuring cup, ideally one with a pouring spout. Then pour the tea through a strainer, into a cup.

 
RECIPE #1: TURMERIC GINGER SPICED TEA

Ingredients For 1 Cup Of Tea

Preparation

1. HEAT water to a rolling boil. Place the tea bag, orange peel and spices in a glass measuring cup or other receptacle. Add water and orange peel.

2. STEEP for 5-7 minutes. Remove tea bags and orange peel. Stir in lemon juice and agave nectar. Garnish with lemon round.

Now for some gin in your tea! See yesterday’s tip.

RECIPE: MASALA CHAI

Masala chai is Hindi for spiced milk tea (masala = spice, chai = tea). It’s a strong black Indian tea infused with milk, sugar and spices—commonly cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, peppercorn, clove and nutmeg (chocolate or licorice are sometimes included). While chai is traditionally made from black tea, green tea chai and rooibos chai have become popular in the West.

There is no one “best chai recipe.” As with any other dish, the best version has the seasonings you prefer, in the strengths that you want.

Here’s a basic masala chai recipe that makes eight cups of tea. Take it as a starting point and adjust the proportions next time.

If eight cups is too much for you, cut back the recipe. Or, refrigerate the remainder, store it in the fridge and and heat it as needed. You can also drink it iced.

 
Preparation

1. HEAT the water and milk to a boil in a sauce pan. Add the remaining ingredients except honey and simmer, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. REMOVE from heat and strain into another pot or bowl. Add sweetener and blend thoroughly.

3. SERVE from a conventional teapot or a pitcher; or bring pre-filled cups the table.

 
TEA TALK

Check out the different types of tea and tea terminology in our Tea Glossary.

The New York event took place this past weekend, with all-you-can-eat wings and all-you-can-drink beer.

This year’s champion chicken wings were made by The Windsor, a high-end sports bar in Manhattan’s West Village. The winning recipe is below is courtesy of The Windsor’s chef, Kristine Mana-ay.

The Windsor won over past Wingfest champions BBQue’s Smoke Shack and Duke’s New York. Participating restaurants and what they served:

 
If you’re not familiar with Sriracha sauce, see below.

The winner: Honey Sriracha Wings (photo © The Windsor | New York City).

Ingredients For 12 Wings

 
Honey Siracha Sauce

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE the sriracha sauce: Combine the siracha, honey, chopped ginger, and scallion. Set it aside.

2. WHISK together buttermilk, pepper, salt, and Old Bay seasoning in a bowl. Add the chicken and coat with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours. Then…

3. MIX together the flour, garlic powder, Old Bay seasoning, paprika, onion and salt in a small bowl.

4. PLACE chicken wings in a large bowl and coat evenly with the flour mixture. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for one hour.

5. HEAT the oil to 375° in a deep frying pan. The oil should be just enough to cover the chicken wings. Cook, remove the chicken from the fryer, and drain on paper towels set in a bowl. Coat with sriracha sauce and serve.
 
 

WHAT IS SRIRACHA?

Sriracha, pronounced see-RAH-jah, is a Thai hot chili sauce. It is made from red chiles, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt; and is aged for three months or longer.

Unlike American hot sauces such as Tabasco, which are vinegar sauces that are infused with hot chiles, sriracha is primarily puréed chiles, making it a much thicker sauce.

The sauce is named after the coastal city of Si Racha in eastern Thailand, where it was first made and marketed. Different brands can be found in the Asian aisle of many supermarkets and in Asian groceries.

According to multiple sources, including an article in Bon Appétit, the sauce was made more than 80 years ago in by a local woman, Thanom Chakkapak. She initially made the condiment for her family, and then for friends, to enjoy with the local seafood (think of it as a much hotter counterpart to American cocktail sauce).

As is a common story in the specialty food business, they encouraged her to sell it commercially—and it became the best-selling chile sauce in Thailand. In 1984, Ms. Chakkapak sold her business to a major food company, Thai Theparos Food Products.

What’s the correct spelling: sriraja, si-racha, sriracha, or siracha?

According to Andrea Nguyen, who wrote the article for Bon Appétit: Since Thailand does not adhere to one romanization system for Thai words, many variants have emerged, chosen by manufacturers who have created their own version of the original sauce.

However, the most commonly accepted spelling is sriracha.