Feed the Family

Last week I attended Target's Feed the Family event in New York City. The event showcased delicious food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all made using Target's exclusive food brands: Archer Farms, Market Pantry, Sutton & Dodge Steakhouse Quality Angus Beef, and Wine Cube. I've purchased something from each of those brands, with the exception of Wine Cube, and have never been disappointed. My favorite Archer Farms product? The all-natural peanut butter! SO GOOD! But what I didn't know about Target is that its Archer Farms brand makes TWO types of gluten-free pasta. How exciting is that? Now that I know the pasta exists, I'm going to look for it at my local Target. 

lunch bento boxes with turkey "sushi"

The breakfast section was good, but I'll get to the food samples in a minute. The lunch section didn't have food samples, but it did have super cute lunch items and ways to package them. I hope you can see them in the picture, but Target has these awesome lunch bento boxes with space on the top for a plastic fork and knife and three inner compartments to keep food separated. The bento boxes are available in Target's summer seasonal section, so go find them and buy them for you and your kids! And in one of the bento boxes, Target had turkey sandwich wraps made to look like sushi. So cute! 


But the food, the food! Breakfast was a three-course sampler of a Blueberry Bagel Strata, yogurt topped with Archer Farms cereal, and Corn Pancakes with Praline Bacon and Honeyed Butter. Dinner consisted of a four-course sampler of an Archer Farms Quinoa Burger (not my favorite, but I think quinoa is an acquired taste), Quick Orange Chicken, Archer Farms Margherita di Bufaia Pizza, and Giada De Laurentiis' Gobetti Pasta with Pancetta and Peas. For dessert, I sampled Archer Farms gelato!  


There was also a kids' section with cute little toys and craft activities that can also be purchased at Target. The kids at the event were making hanging paper lanterns that looked really cool. And if you're looking for an outdoor game, Target has a bocce ball set, which the little kids seemed to like. 


While I can't wait to try all of the different recipes showcased at the event, there is one recipe in particular that I'm really excited about. My favorite recipe was the Corn Pancakes with Praline Bacon and Honeyed Butter. Oh man. That praline bacon WAS. SO. GOOD. I need to do some experimenting to make this one gluten-free, but here is the regular recipe that Target was kind enough to share. 

yogurt with cereal, blueberry bagel strata,
and corn pancakes with praline bacon
and honeyed butter

Ingredients: 
½ cup packed brown sugar 
¼ cup finely chopped pecans 
2 tsp. Archer Farms Caribbean Jerk Seasoning 
12 slices Archer Farms Thick Cut Bacon 
¾ cup softened butter 
¼ cup Archer Farms Orange Blossom Honey 
2 cups Archer Farms Golden Corncakes Pancake Mix 
1 1/3 cups milk 
¼ cup oil 
2 eggs 


Directions: 
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Line the bottom of a broiler pan with foil. 
3. Mix sugar, pecans, and seasoning in a wide bowl. 
4. Press the bacon in the mixture to coat. 
5. Arrange bacon on the pan, and sprinkle the remaining pecan mixture on top. 
6. Bake 17 to 20 minutes until browned and crispy. 
7. Remove from pan and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. 
8. Stir butter and honey in small bowl until smooth. 
9. Meanwhile, prepare pancake batter according to package directions with milk, oil, and eggs for 12 pancakes. Serve warm topped with honeyed butter and bacon. 

I got to take home samples, including my favorite:
Archer Farms all-natural peanut butter!

Makes four to six servings. 



Ever since my local Target revamped its grocery section, I've been trying to shop there more often. The fresh fruit is sweet and delicious, and probably better than what I've purchased at the grocery store. I also like that I can find great deals at Target. Most of the stuff I buy at the grocery store is at least $1 cheaper at Target, too. Now that I know to look for the Archer Farms gluten-free pasta, I'm hoping that I can do more food shopping at Target. The gluten-free thing is the only thing that has really held me back from making Target my sole food store. I can find some gluten-free things, but for other items, like our no gluten, no MSG Thumann's deli counter meat, I still have to go to the grocery store. What about you? How much of your grocery shopping do you do at Target?