Your Hometown Kitchen Store
There are places in your hometown that are special. They are full of memories and good times. You have a tradition of visiting these places. Everyone gets into the car, and you make an afternoon of it visiting these special places in our hometowns.
In Fort Collins, there is a special place that everyone loves to visit, and it is a kitchen store called The Cupboard. It is not your ordinary kitchen store; this is more like visiting an old friend because when you walk into the doors, it is like being in a comfortable home where you want to spend time and linger. You want your home to feel as cozy as this store feels.
Recently The Cupboard celebrated 45 years of being a local Fort Collins institution. They are a destination in our beautiful city. Jim Hewitt is a second generation owner of this phenomenal store. His father Carey started the store in 1972 with only 700 sq feet and 3 for .99 wooden spoons. It’s a no wonder it feels like someone’s home when walking through the iconic green doors, it is truly built on the love of a family and their family traditions.
I was fortunate enough to be a part of the celebration. I was asked to perform a cooking demonstration in the kitchen during my livestreaming show Lunch with Leslie. What a delightful experience it was. I got to meet longtime customers and make some new friends. The staff was so organized, Jennifer Davey did a wonderful job making the entire experience phenomenal. It is just how The Cupboard operates, first class all the way!
I made one of my favorite recipes Snack Tots (Recipe Below)! My favorite part was everyone following their noses to the back of the store and to the kitchen where I was cooking! It is always so much fun to cook in a space that is warm, and people are genuinely interested in learning something new. The “mmmmms” and “yums” spoke for themselves when everyone was sampling the Snack Tots.
A wonderful experience in a lovely store. If you are local, you must visit! If you are not local, you must come for a visit! I bet you have locally owned kitchen store in your city. One with as much heart and soul as The Cupboard has. One that will inspire you to get back into your kitchen and cook. One that is helpful and knowledgeable. A hometown gem just waiting to be discovered!
READ THE BLOG POST ABOUT MY JOURNEY TO WELLNESS WRITTEN BY THE CUPBOARD
LISTEN TO OUR INTERVIEW ON “FORK IT OVER RADIO” WITH THE CUPBOARD OWNER JIM HEWITT
Real food snacks that think they are tater tots but they are cauliflower! YAY!
- Coconut Oil Cooking Spray
- 3 cups riced and roasted cheddar yellow cauliflower, traditional white is acceptable
- 1 cup shredded raw cheddar cheese or Vegan Cheese
- 1 pasture raised egg
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 4 tbs arrowroot starch
- ½ tsp dry mustard
- salt and pepper
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Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray the mini muffin tin with coconut oil.
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Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a whisk or a fork.
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Using a spoon scoop out even amounts into muffin tin and press firmly into each cup.
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Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown.
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Cool slightly and remove the snack tots out of tin, serve with catsup or red pepper hummus or homemade ranch dip!
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Make 24 Snack Tots!
Recipe Note: Please Find a How 2 Guide here for making riced and roasted cauliflower! Please note for this recipe I did not use the spices listed in the linked recipe and instructions.
