Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy » Kudos

OMGOMGOMG! I Won!

Susan — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:05:00 +0000

Ever heard of “Does My Blog Look Good in This“? According to its founder, Andrew of Spittoon Extra, DMBLGIT is “a monthly food photography event, called by some as the grandest food porn event available on the web.”, where “Food bloggers submit their best photos from posts they completed during the previous month which are then judged and scored. Winners are made covering three categories (edibility, aesthetics, and originality) plus three overall winners.” Each monthly contest is hosted by a different food blogger.

April’s DMBLGIT was hosted by Gine of I Dolci Fanno Felici, and guess what? I WON Overall First Place!!! I am absolutely giddy! I am also terribly flattered and honored. I’ve been submitting entries to this event every month for a year and this is the first time I’ve even placed.

So, are you ready to see my winning photo?

Are you sure?

Better go put on some sunglasses first, so as not to hurt your eyes looking at my dazzlingly brilliant, award-winning photo! I’ll wait.

Okay. Ready now? Here it comes…….

TA DA!!!

It’s my Pomegranate Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream!

And, not only did I get a much-appreciated ego boost……

I also get to show this super cool badge on my blog!

I want to thank Gine and all of this month’s DMBLGIT judges from the bottom of my heart for acknowledging my work. You have no idea how much it means to me. I’d also like to congratulate all of the other winning photographers as well. Their work is outstanding! Please make sure you stop by Gine’s site and see for yourself.

Ciao for now!

P.S. I hope you know I was kidding about the dazzlingly brilliant part!

Apple-Maple Acorn Squash Puree & Alltop

Susan — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 01:44:00 +0000

You know that we’re firmly entrenched in Autumn when almost every other recipe you see on the blogs contains some form of pumpkin, butternut or acorn squash. It’s inevitable. A myriad of orange-hued dishes abound, both sweet and savory. Pies, breads, cakes, soups, and even the simplest compositions of roasted root vegetables dot the web like little marshmallows on a sweet potato casserole. I’m not complaining, mind you. I like it. In fact, I like it so much that I’m jumping on the winter squash bandwagon, myself.

Those of you who are winter squash aficionados might be shocked to learn that there are some people who don’t actually like orange-fleshed food. I know, it’s shocking! Both Mr. SGCC and Mini SGCC fall into that category. I’m sure that you all feel my pain at this revelation! While they each might indulge in a bite or two of a cleverly disguised pumpkin pie or a spoonful of my mother’s world famous candied sweet potatoes (only on Thanksgiving), they draw the line there. I, on the other had, adore the color orange, especially on a plate! So, when I feel the need for a gourd fix, I’m pretty much on my own. I’ll usually look for a small specimen at the market, wait until I’m on my own for an evening and knock myself out!

One of my favorites is acorn squash. I think that’s because it was the one that I had most often growing up. My mom used to make it a lot. She prepared it very simply, baked in the oven with a little butter and some cinnamon, brown sugar and nutmeg sprinkled on top. I can still remember how good it was – that soft, yielding, slightly sweet and spicy flesh. Acorn squash is not quite as dense and sweet as it’s other Cucurbitaceae cousins, and it’s flesh is lighter and more golden, but it is every bit as healthy and delicious.

Acorn squash is a tasty source of complex carbohydrates and soluble fiber, which, is said to play an important role in reducing the incidence of colon cancer. It is also an excellent source of beta carotene, which is converted to Vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is essential for healthy skin, vision, bone development and maintenance as well as many other functions.

The other day Mr. and Mini SGCC were out, so I decided to make myself some acorn squash. I basically made it the same way my mother did, but I tried a new twist on it that I really, really liked. I cut it in two and spread a bit of softened butter on the inside of each half. Then I sprinkled on some cinnamon and dark brown sugar and drizzled on a little pure maple syrup (NOT Log Cabin). Here’s where the twist comes in. Normally, I would bake the squash on a baking sheet in a little water bath. Instead, I poured some apple cider in the baking sheet. By the time the squash was cooked through, the cider had reduced and caramelized into a thick, gooey syrup that was both sweet and tart at the same time. I scooped the flesh of the squash into a bowl and scraped up all of that glorious apple ooze and added it too. The combination of apple, brown sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon turned that squash into something sublime! If you’re a fan of acorn, or any winter squash, you must try it this way. It was really and truly divine – and incredibly easy to prepare!

Apple-Maple Acorn Squash Puree

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 medium acorn squash

1-2 tablespoons softened butter

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

2 cups apple cider

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with foil.

Cut acorn squash in half and scoop out seeds and stringy bits.

Place on baking sheet flesh side up. Spread butter on squash, then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Drizzle maple syrup on top.

Bake for 1 hour, or until squash is soft and apple juice has caramelized. Scoop flesh from the skin and into a bowl. Scrape as much of the apple goop as you can up from the baking sheet and add to the bowl. Mix and mash it all together and serve.

Enjoy!

I also have a fun bit of news to share with you. SGCC has recently been included on Alltop. Alltop is a news aggregation site that provides “all the top” stories for the most popular topics on the Web, including food. According to their web site, “You can think of an Alltop site as a “digital magazine rack” of the Internet. To be clear, Alltop sites are starting points—they are not destinations per se. The bottom line is that we are trying to enhance your online reading by both displaying stories from the sites that you’re already visiting and helping you discover sites that you didn’t know existed. In other words, our goal is the “cessation of Internet stagnation” by providing “aggregation without aggravation.”

I am flattered and proud to be included with so many wonderful and successful web sites and blogs. If you’ve never visited Alltop before, why not take a few minutes and check it out. You just may discover some great new finds!

Sweet Stuff at SGCC

Susan — Mon, 19 May 2008 04:23:00 +0000

I’m not going to tell you any sad stories today. I’m locking them all in my Sad Story Box and they are not allowed out until tomorrow. Today is my birthday and I just want to think about happy things! Don’t ask me how old I am, though. If I told you that, I’d have to kill you!

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I’ve shared a lot with you all on this blog; the good, the bad and the bittersweet. Writing has always been cathartic for me and it is sometimes easier to express my feelings this way. I think that is true for many of us. Someone asked me not too long ago, how I could spend so much time talking to nameless, faceless strangers on the Internet. She said that interacting in this way was not true communication. She also claimed that because of the anonymity of the web, most of the people I’ve met online are probably not even who they say they are.

I tried to explain to her about this wonderful world of food blogging – about all of the terrific people I’ve come to know and how much I look forward to visiting them and their blogs. I told her that some of the connections I’ve made with other bloggers are are just as real as if I’d met them right here in town. We celebrate each others’ successes, laugh over our failures, cry over our losses and support each other in our endeavors. She didn’t get it. I guess people often can’t accept what they don’t understand. That got me thinking. How do you feel about this? Is what we do true communication? Can you really forge a strong bond with someone you’ve never met? Hmmm. Food for thought.

There has been a lot of sweet stuff going on here in SGCC Land and I couldn’t be more thrilled! I’ve been saving it up to share with you all at once. I had planned to write this post a while ago, but with all of the craziness, I just never got to it. In the last several weeks, I’ve won a few contests and have been honored with some great awards!

Last month, I submitted an entry to Holly at Phemonenon for her Little Wonders, Blogging for Babies event. My Lemon Yogurt Cakelets was chosen as one of the top three entries! I was stunned! I was happy just to be able to participate in such a worthwhile event. To actually win was the icing on the proverbial cake! For my efforts I received a copy of Govind Armstrong’s excellent cookbook, Small Bites Big Nights. Thank you so much, Holly and everyone who voted for me.

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Around the same time, I submitted an entry in the The Great Peanut Butter Exhibition #1 – Cookies, hosted by The Peanut Butter Boy, The Chocolate Peanut Butter Gallery and Foodaphilia. I entered my Holycraptheseareamazing Cookies and lo and behold, I won! WooHoo! I was too excited for words! My sincere and enthusiastic thanks go out to Nick, Kristina and E! Check out my cool badge I get to display!

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When it rains, it pours, this time in a very good way. Patsy at Family, Friends and Food has passed on the Blogging With a Purpose Award to me. Patsy is one of the sweetest bloggers around. She writes about her adventures in the kitchen with humor and charm. Not one to shy away from a challenge, she features lots of interesting and diverse recipes. Take a moment to check out her blog. You’ll be happy you did. Thank you Patsy!

The Blogging With a Purpose Award was originated by Eric at Blogging With a Purpose. The rules are, that recipients must nominate five people who have not yet received the award, and that the blogs that receive the award must serve some purpose.

My good friend and fellow legal eagle, Cakelaw at Laws of the Kitchen has bestowed the Yummy Blog Award upon me. Cakelaw is one of my favorite bloggers. She is also one of the most prolific! I’m always amazed at how she manages to work full-time as an attorney and yet still find the time to create so many wonderful dishes and post about them to boot! She never seems to miss an event. Plus, she recently completed a class on cake decorating. You really need to visit Cakelaw’s blog to see the lovely and tempting things she has been churning out in her kitchen! I am honored that she thinks my blog is yummy!

This award was started by Roopa of Kitchen Treats. Here is Roopa’s decription of it in her own words: ” The Yummy Blog Award is the award given to the blog with most yummy recipes/photos. The receiver should also quote their favorite yummy-licious dessert(s) that they have ever prepared/eaten…Also the receiver should pass on the award to four other bloggers who’s blog they find “yummy” and let them know about the rules.” There are so many “yummy-licious” dishes that I’ve posted about. After all, if I don’t love the food I make, I usually don’t bother writing about it. If I had to choose one, I think it would have to be my Thank Heaven for Little Girl(Scout)s Samoa Cheese Tart. With all of that cream cheese, dulce de leche, toasted coconut and dark, rich chocolate, it is the quintessential Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy dessert!

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Both Gretchen at Canela & Comino and Val at More Than Burnt Toast have honored me with the You Make My Day Award. I’ve gotten to know both of these terrific women pretty well over the last several months and my life has been richer for it. They are generous and kind and incredible cooks! Gretchen features many mouthwatering Peruvian dishes on her blog and very charming and poignant stories to go along with them. Val’s blog is like the United Nations of food! She presents delicious recipes from all over the globe, including her native Canada, often imparting valuable nutritional information too. She also shares lots of great pictures of all of the exciting and exotic places she’s been. It’s worth a trip to both of these blogs to see what they’re up to. My sincere thanks goes out to both of these special ladies.

The Rules of this award are to give the award to up to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel so happy about blogland! Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so that they can pass it on. Beware! You may get the award several times!

Last but certainly not least is the Arte y Pico Award that I received from Nikki from Canary Girl. I have to admit that when I first saw this one floating around the blogoshere, I was secretly hoping that someone would pass it on to me. I really, really wanted that lovely badge! I’m so very happy that Nikki thought enough of me and SGCC to send it my way! Nikki is one of the most fun bloggers around. Her sunny smile is infectious and her breezy writing style makes for a great read. Nikki lives in the Canary Islands, which is too cool for words! Her recipes are a great mix of different cuisines, but I especially love all of the Spanish offerings. Stop by and check it out. Thanks, Nikki!

The Arte y Pico award originated with Eseya at Arte y Pico. The rules are as follows:

1)You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award with respect to creativity, design, interesting material and contribution to the blogging community.

2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3) Each recipient has to display the award and link to the blog that has given it

4) The recipient has to link to the originator of this award.

5) These rules are to be posted.

Now comes the hard part! How in the world do I narrow down my list of deserving bloggers to so few? I can honestly say that I find enjoyment and inspiration in every one I visit. They all deserve these awards. But, since I must name some names, here goes. This post is already way too long, so you’ll just have to go visit these blogs to see why I love them! I tried not to duplicate, and if I did, I apologize. It wasn’t easy!

The Blogging With A Purpose Award goes to:

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Barbara at Winos and Foodies

Cathy at Noble Pig

Holly at Phemomenon

Jen at A2EatWrite

Susan at Food Blogga
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The Yummy Blog Award goes to:

Aran at Canelle et Vanille

Kevin at Closet Cooking

Heather at Gild the Voodoolily

Marc at [No Recipes]

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The You Make My Day Award goes to:

Stacey at Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Ho-Hos

Tempered Woman at Tempered Woman

Rachel at The Essential Rhubarb Pie

Mike at Mike’s Table

Michelle at Thursday Night Smackdown

Grace at A Southern Grace

Mark at No Special Effects

Patricia at Technicolor Kitchen

Rita at Mochachocolata Rita

Lori at The Recipe Girl

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The Arte y Pico Award goes to:
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Jessie at Cakespy

Michelle at Bleeding Espresso

Diane and Todd at White on Rice Couple

Jen at Use Real Butter

Nicisme at Cherrapeno

Whew!

Celebrating Excellence

Susan — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 04:41:00 +0000

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I feel like celebrating! Last week, I received a very lovely surprise. My good friend, Cakelaw of Laws of the Kitchen has bestowed an Excellent Blog Award upon me. The Excellent Blog Award is given to one blogger by another who believes that his or her blog exemplifies the qualities that make up a great blog. I am truly honored to receive this award, as well as to be included in such an illustrious group of bloggers, like Cakelaw! She is a smart, talented, and a genuinely nice person. I always enjoy visiting her blog to see what delicious concoctions she has come up with. If I could, I’d give this award right back to her.

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When I first started blogging, I merely looked at it as a creative outlet for myself. I never expected it to become such an important part of my life. Nor did I ever expect to meet so many talented and interesting people from every corner of the world. I am constantly impressed and inspired by all of the wonderful culinary creations of my fellow food bloggers. I am also inspired by the true sense of caring and community among them. I really consider myself lucky to be a part of it.

I’ve put a lot of thought into this. There are so many excellent blogs out there, each with their own charm and appeal. It was very hard to narrow it down to just five. But, I did what I had to do.

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So, grab a glass of champagne and get comfortable while I take this opportunity to spread a little of the food blog love around. It is a pleasure and a privilege for me to give an Excellent Blog Award to the five following food bloggers:

To Helene of Tartelette, for her pure, unadulturated talent. She blows me away with her gorgeous cakes, tarts, pastries and all things dessert. I don’t know where she gets the energy for all that baking! She is also one of the sweetest people I know, always willing to help others. She is my cheerleader!
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To Jen of Use Real Butter, for her feisty spirit, no bullshit attitude and grace under pressure. I laugh out loud everytime I read one of her highly entertaining posts. Jen’s step by step recipe guides are indispensible to me. I actually print them out to keep in my files. Her photography is absolutely brilliant, whether of her food or her gorgeous surroundings. She is also one of the most supportive and encouraging bloggers I know. She has class. I want to be Jen when I grow up!

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To Melissa of The Traveler’s Lunchbox, for her beautifully crafted posts, lovely photos and inspired recipes. Clicking on Melissa’s site is like walking into a sweet dream. Her pictures remind me of Impressionist paintings. Her artful words draw you in and hold you there. Her blog reads like a good book you can’t put down.

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To Jessie of Cakespy, for her clever, informative and articulate writing, and her wonderful, whimsical artwork. I love going on Jessie’s Cakewalks and reading her terrific interviews in Batter Chatter. But most of all, I love her adorable little cupcakes! What a talent!

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To Michelle of Bleeding Espresso for….well….everything. I love her eclectic syle. I love her courage to leave everything safe and familiar and go off to start a new adventure halfway around the world. I love that she does so much to support other bloggers, with her 1st of the Month Features and her Guest Blogger program, just to name a few. And, I really love that she writes for writing’s sake, not only about food, but about all things that are important to her.

Congratulations to all of you Excellent Bloggers. You deserve it!

Thank You Well Fed Network and Slashfood! (Fantabulous Flan)

Susan — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:42:00 +0000

Whew! What a week this has been. Some really nice things are happening to me and my little blog these days. I’m not running around dodging the paparazzi or anything, but I am pretty excited about my news.

First of all, yours truly has been invited to be a contributing author for the Well Fed Network. WFN is a popular stop among foodies. It is a compilation of 14 food and drink related blogs, focusing on providing high quality and informative topical content. The WFN is the brainchild of Cate O’Malley of Sweetnicks, and she is the managing editor of the network.

I will be writing for two of their excellent sites, The Cook’s Kitchen and Paper Palate. As a matter of fact, three of my articles have already been published here, here and here! I can’t tell you how happy I am to be a part of the Well Fed Network!

As if that wasn’t enough, one of my photos has been chosen as Slashfood’s Daily Food Porn. OMG!!! Can you stand it? Last night, when I had my first chance of the day to breathe, I clicked on the site for my daily “Slashfood fix”. I was mindlessly scrolling down the page, when I saw a picture that looked familiar. “I took a shot just like that.”, I said to myself………

HUH! Wait a minute! THAT IS MY PICTURE!!! HOLY #&*#! I’M FOOD PORN!

I almost fell off my chair. Then, I did a little happy dance around the room. I could have sworn I had wings on my feet. I think I may have even hit a high C or two!

Now, this may not mean that much to a lot of you, but the whole picture taking thing has been my greatest challenge since starting this blog. It wasn’t long ago that I wrote this post here, where I shared (ranted, actually) my complete and total frustration over my photography skills. I was ready to give up. Thankfully, several of you were so helpful and encouraging with your comments, particularly Helen, Jen and Jaden, and I decided to persevere. So yes, for me, this is a Very. Big. Deal! Here is a little token of my thanks, ladies.

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Of course, I had to celebrate such a momentous week. What better way to do this than with a sticky, gooey, creamy, chewy dessert! This flan recipe was given to me by my aunt many, many years ago. It is the most requested dessert at all of our family gatherings. It is truly decadent. I adore it and I hope you will too.
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Fantabulous Flan

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1 cup plus 3 tbsp. granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

6 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp cornstarch

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup assorted tropical fruits, diced into small bits for garnish

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

For the Caramel:

Combine sugar and water in medium, deep, heavy-duty saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved, about 2-3 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high, and boil, without stirring, until caramel is a medium brown color, about 10-15 minutes, depending on your stove.

Quickly pour the caramel over bottom and sides of 12 six-ounce custard cups or a flan mold. If the caramel hardens, soften it up a minute over low heat.

For the flan:

Combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, 3 tbsp. sugar, cornstarch, eggs and vanilla in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Pour mixture into prepared cups or mold. Arrange in a large roasting or baking pan.

Pour hot water in the pan until it is about 1 inch deep. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for about 30 minutes. Chill for several hours or overnight.

To unmold, run a sharp knife around the rims and gently shake to loosen. Invert onto your serving plates.
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Enjoy!