Have you noticed that I’ve been MIA around here lately?  Frankly, I didn’t realize just how long it had been since my last post.  There’s a good reason, though.  A couple of months ago Jeff Houck, food editor at the Tampa Tribune and organizer of TECHmunch, Tampa, invited me to be a speaker at the conference.   Needless to say, I was honored and flattered to be asked.  I was also a little terrified!  You see, Jeff asked me to speak about photography.  Yes – photography.  While I’ve spent a good part of my life writing in various careers, I’ve only begun developing my photography skills in the few years that I’ve been blogging.   I worried that I wouldn’t have anything of value to share.  I pictured myself at the podium being pelted with rotten tomatoes by disgruntled attendees.  Then, I kicked myself in the butt and told myself to get over it – because I realized that sharing our knowledge and experience, at whatever level, is how we learn and grow.   And, that food bloggers are among the most supportive and nurturing people around.  So, I put on my big girl panties and spent the past few weeks preparing the best damn photography presentation I could. 

If you’re not familiar with TECHmunch, you should be.  TECHmunch is a series of regional conferences held in various U.S. cities, designed to teach food bloggers the skills they need to succeed in the already crowded food blogging arena.  The conference’s intensive, hands-on format is designed to get attendees up-to-speed on all the latest tools and tactics for enhancing their skills, improving SEO, growing their audience and building their brands.  TECHmunch was created by Babette Pepaj, founder of BakeSpace and Cookbook Cafe.  According to Babette, her main goal in founding TECHmunch was ” to give local food bloggers a fun, affordable conference where they get the ingredients they need to succeed. We focus on practical information that attendees can use immediately to take their blogs to the next level.”  Having attended several blogging conferences with hundreds of attendees, and where the emphasis seemed to be on getting noticed by major brands, book publishers and the like, I find TECHmunch’s concept rather refreshing.

When conference day arrived, I was a jumble of nerves.  Mr. SGCC offered to drive me up to Tampa so that I could run through my presentation in the car.  I think he was just afraid that I would get lost and end up godknowswhere.  He was justified.  Don’t ask me why.

As soon as I entered the conference room,  I noticed quite a few familiar faces in the crowd and began to feel at ease.  When it was my turn to speak, I marched right up to the presenters’ table, sat down, looked at the empty chairs to the right and left of me… and suddenly felt very…alone.  All of the other sessions had been panel discussions with three or four people.  Mine was just me.  I wanted “people” too.  I needed some “people”!  So, I asked for someone – anyone -  to come up and be my “people”.   Lucky for me, Julius and Todd came to my rescue and volunteered.   They’re both really good “people”!

(Me and My “People”)

My presentation went pretty smoothly even though I got a little long-winded, as I often do. (Sorry about that!)  When it was over, I was asked by several attendees if I would be posting my PowerPoint slideshow online.   I said that I would – as soon as I figured out how.  Fortunately, it didn’t take me too long to do that.  So, here it is:  my Top 10 Tips to Boost Your food Photography.  I hope you enjoy and pick up a few tips you can use.

After the conference, I had a great time hanging out with old friends and making some new ones.

Old FBF friends, Denise, Michelle and I

With Robin from Simply Southern Baking

Michelle and I mugging for the camera

With blogger-to-be, Athena

All in all, participating in TECHmunch Tampa was a great experience that I’d happily do again.  Thank you to Jeff, Babette and everyone else who made it possible!

Well, this certainly took a bit longer than I had planned!  Besides a nasty bout of bronchitis that totally took me down, I’ve found myself in the throes of college applications, SAT’s and ACT’s, plus a few magazine deadlines just for good measure.   Unfortunately, poor little SGCC has had to sit in the back of the bus temporarily, while I play catch up.  But, I realized that I’ve left you hanging in the middle of my Oregon trip, and that just won’t do.  The second half of  my adventure was just as fabulous as the first, and I really do want to share it with you. I had actually put together a very nice slideshow with music and everything for you.   It was perfect and I had my heart set on using it in this post.  Unfortunately, the artist who recorded the music that I wanted to use never responded to my request for permission.  After two emails and five days, I gave up.  Sigh… 

On Friday night, my fellow bloggers and I were treated to a burgers and brew bash high on a rooftop deck in the artsy Pearl District digs of Weiden & Kennedy.  There, Chef Gregory Denton from Metrovino and Chef Chris Carriker from The Gilt Club served up mini-versions of some of the tastiest burgers you’ll find anywhere.  These weren’t just any old burgers, either.  They were elk burgers, lamb burgers and Metrovino’s award-winning double decker burgers as well.   To go along with the burgers, we also enjoyed some lovely salads, gnocchi, fresh Dungeness crab and scrumptious sweets.

Saturday morning took us over to the Portland Farmers Market to pick up ingredients for a canning workshop and to marvel over the amazing bounty of Oregon’s growers and artisan producers.  I literally was blown away by all of the magnificent produce I found.  Everything positively glistened!  I’ve never seen anything like it.

Once we had scored all of our ingredients, Jennifer from Sassafras Catering had to pry the cameras out of our hands and drag us kicking and screaming over to Kitchen Cru for our canning session.  Honestly, I could have stayed at that market all day long.  Between the sights, smells and glorious weather, I couldn’t think of a more pleasant place to be.

Kitchen Cru is a shared use community kitchen.  It offers the use of a fully equipped, licensed, commercial kitchen and private event space for small catering businesses, private chefs and cooking instructors.    The facility also provides support services and business development guidance for their clients, like Sassafras Catering.  It’s a terrific and much more affordable option for these small businesses.  Without the financial burden and upkeep of maintaining their own kitchens, they can focus on the food – and that’s what it’s all about.

At our workshop, Jennifer and her partner, Erin, taught us the basics of canning and preserving as we made a big batch of tomato jam. Before we knew it, we were slicing and dicing a huge basket filled with drop dead gorgeous heirloom tomatoes.  Look at those happy faces!

The tomatoes were cooked down for a good, long time with lots of sugar and some aromatic spices, like ginger, cumin and coriander.  Then, the jam was ladled into prepared jars and tucked into a boiling water bath.

Here are the fruits of our labor.

Next, was a fabulous lunch prepared by more of Portland’s rock star chefs, Jenn Lewis of Lincoln Restaurant, Chris Israel of Gruner and Kask, and Scott Dolich of Park Kitchen and The Bent Brick.  Of course, great food also needs some great wine, so we also had Hilda and Hannah Jones from Abacela Winery and Rollin Soles from Argyle Winery on hand with some of their best vintages.

Here’s a picture of Helene making a picture of the Kitchen Cru crew.  Hehe!  I don’t think she knows I got this one.

After lunch, one group left to learn how to make artisan ice cream.  Another, went to fine tune their prowess at making cocktails.  And for the rest of us, it was all about charcuterie, baby!    Eric and Paula from Chop Butchery taught us how to make homemade pancetta and a divine little bourbon chicken liver pâté.   Mercy!

Here’s Sean taking a shot of the flambé.    You may recall that we were trapped in an elevator together on the 45th floor of our Atlanta hotel during BlogHer Food.  We’re soulmates now.  I love him!

The grand finale of our wonderful Portland adventure took us back to the beautiful Willamette Valley for a farewell banquet at the Penner-Ash Wine Cellars.  Ron and Lynn Penner-Ash were our most gracious hosts for a gala dinner and wine tasting at their lush and scenic winery.   It was a time to kick back and relax among the rolling hills and fields of wildflowers.

Chef Vitaly Paley of Paley’s Place cooked up a sumptuous feast for us.   During the cocktail hour, there was an amazing seafood bar overflowing with mounds of local Dungeness crab, spicy scallop ceviche and various kinds of Pacific oysters.  A few steps away, there was a charcuterie bar loaded with cured meats, cheeses and pâté.   It was a foodie’s dream!

By the time I sat down to dinner, I must confess that I was pretty much stuffed, and more than a little drunk.  (I should have gone a little easier on that crab.)  But, I took one for the team and forced myself to eat at least a few bites of each impeccably prepared course.   All of the food was sourced from local farms and producers, including Vindian Farms, River’s Edge Chevre, La Mariposa and Carman Ranch.

To complement all of the deliciousness, we sipped wines from King Estate Winery, Apolloni Vineyards, Troon Vineyard and of course, Penner-Ash.

As all good things must come to an end, eventually it was time to say goodbye to our new friends and head back to Portland.  As I struggled to keep my eyes open on the bus ride back, the snippets of conversation that drifted by made me smile.  What a weekend it had been – for all of us!  Oregon is a magical place, and I am so grateful that I not only had the opportunity to experience it, but that I got to do so with such a talented and creative group of people.

My sincerest thanks goes out to Travel Oregon for inviting me into their little slice of heaven, and for making me feel valued and special.    I’d also like to thank all of the participating chefs, growers,  winemakers and artisan producers.  Their dedication to their crafts, commitment to sustainability and respect for the land is an inspiration to me and an example that we can all follow.  And  last but not least, I thank my fellow travelers just for being the great group of bloggers that they are.  I couldn’t imagine sharing this experience with a more fun bunch!  I enjoyed spending time with each one of them and look forward to the next time our paths cross.

When we arrived at Kitchen Cru on Saturday morning, the ladies from Sassafras had tall, chilled glasses of watermelon lemonade waiting for us. It was wonderful! So wonderful, in fact, that I probably drank a whole gallon of the stuff all by myself. Tomato jam aside, I knew that when I got home I would be making that lemonade.   While I didn’t use their exact recipe, I think my version, inspired by the original, comes pretty darn close.

This lemonade is light, refreshing and utterly delicious. Plus, it’s one of the prettiest shades of red you’ll ever see. It is made by pureeing fresh watermelon and adding a lemon and basil infused simple syrup. Basil does wonderful things when paired with fresh fruits, and it’s a natural in this drink.

You can adjust the sweetness of the lemonade by adding more or less of the syrup to your taste. Plus, you can take it up a notch by adding a shot of vodka or gin for a grown up version.

I’m still able to find watermelon in the markets here, but I’m sure not for long.   So, if you’re looking to celebrate summer’s last hurrah, hurry and make some basil-infused watermelon lemonade – while you still can.

Do you remember the best date you ever had?  I’m talking about the mother of all dates – the one where every little possible detail was taken care of.  Where you were wined and dined within an inch of your life,  and so much attention was lavished upon you, that you were almost embarrassed by it.  Yeah.  Me neither.  But, if I’d had ever experienced a date like that, I imagine it would have been very much like the extraordinary weekend I recently spent in Oregon as a guest of Travel Oregon.  I had such an incredibly wonderful time, and I can’t wait to tell you about it!

A while back, I received an email from Stacey of Maxwell PR, the public relations firm that represents Travel Oregon, inviting me, along with about twenty other food and wine writers, to an action-packed weekend filled with food, wine and adventure.    Travel Oregon is the state’s tourism commission and the official travel guide to planning an Oregon vacation.   Stacey explained that we would be spending three days immersing ourselves in Oregon’s rich and diverse culinary culture: dining at Portland’s hottest restaurants; touring Oregon’s wine country; and learning tricks of the trade from some of the area’s most talented food artisans.  It took about thirty seconds for me to reply with a resounding YES!  Visiting Oregon has always been on my bucket list of things to do, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to go. 

When I saw the list of my fellow attendees, I became even more excited.  Some of my favorite blogging buddies were going to be there, as well as some that I’d never met, but have long admired from afar.  I finally felt like one of the “cool kids”.  Yessirree, I was one lucky little food blogger!

When I arrived at PDX, I was met by the lovely, Emily from Travel Oregon.  Gwen (Bunky Cooks) and Paula (Bell’alimento) were also there and we laughed like crazy when we realized that the three of us had been on the same flight from Atlanta and never even knew it.  Emily popped us into a taxi and sent us off to the Hotel deLuxe to settle in.

The Hotel deLuxe is a charming little jewel of a hotel nestled in a quiet corner of downtown Portland. The hotel, decorated in the art deco style, bills itself as a contemporary tribute to the Golden Era of Hollywood.  The furnishings are gracious and elegant, with vintage movie stills from the thirties and forties lining the walls throughout.  The staff was top notch too, going out of its way to make sure all of us were comfortable and happy.  I couldn’t imagine a nicer place to think of as my home away from home during my stay.

The weekend festivities were kicked off with a welcome reception hosted by Katherine Cole, wine columnist for The Oregonian.  There was a lot of squealing and “squeeeee-ing” going on as all of us food bloggers ran around greeting and hugging each other.   I’m sorry to say that I don’t even remember much about the wines that were served.  I was too excited to see Helene, Tami, Gabi, Sean, Debra, Bea, Andrew, Carolyn, Nicole, Linda, Georgia, Cheryl, Leela, Rika, Danielle, Nick, Stefanie, Shanna, Janelle, Richard, Liz and of course, Gwen and Paula!  I’m sure they were good, though, seeing as they were all vintages featured in Katherine’s new book, Voodoo Vintners: Oregon’s Astonishing Biodynamic Winegrowers.   The cheese was good too.  We also finally got to meet Stacey and Vicky!

As the reception wound down, we divided up into groups and headed out for dinner at four of the hottest restaurants in town: Little Bird Bistro, Ping, Aviary and St. Jack.  Honestly, they all sounded so great that it was hard to choose which to go to, but I ended up at Little Bird Bistro with Debra, Linda, Nicole, Rika, and our TO hostess, Linea.   And, what an amazing meal we had!  Don’t take my word for it.  See for yourself!

Maybe it was from all of those swanky cocktails, but we sure do look like some happy campers!

With a full belly and a healthy dose of jet lag, this East coast girl was drooling into her pillow by 9:30 that night.  It was a good thing too.  I had to rise and shine early the next morning for round two of Full On Oregon.

After enjoying scrumptious pastries and excellent coffee provided by Baker & Spice Bakery and Water Avenue Coffee, the gang again split up into four groups bound for various outdoor adventures.  Mine was called Oregon’s Liquid Bounty, and included a  a tour of Oregon’s wine country.  Winemaker, Harry Peterson-Nedry, of Chehalem Winery was our guide as we navigated our way through the vineyards, micro-breweries and olive groves of the verdant Willamette Valley.

Harry explained that we would be sampling the wines representing two branches of the Oregon wine industry –  The Pioneers and The New Guard.  The Pioneers are the older, more established winemakers.  These are the ones who came and established their vineyards in the sixties and early seventies, before there even was a wine industry in Oregon.  At the time, they were met with skepticism.   No one believed it was possible to grow wine grapes in Oregon.  These visionaries tried anyway, setting out to prove that they could successfully grow high-quality, cool climate varieties of grapes.  And prove it they did, paving the way for others.  In only forty years, Oregon has established itself as a world-class wine growing state with  more than three hundred wineries producing wine from seventy-two grape varieties.    They truly were modern-day pioneers!

The New Guard are the young turks of Oregon winemaking.  They are the the up and comers,  tweaking new ideas and techniques, and experimenting with new varietals.    Some are second generation winemakers, and others were just drawn to it by a love of wine and natural beauty.

Our first stop was Sokol Blosser Winery in Dundee, Oregon.  The minute I stepped off the bus, I knew that this was going to be an experience I would never forget.   A cool, soft breeze caressed my face as I took in the gently rolling hills and masses of wildflowers that surrounded me.  In the distance, I could see rows upon rows of perfectly manicured grapevines.  I felt as though I had entered another world – one where everything was lush and green and lovely.  Somehow, I knew that I could be happy there forever!

We sampled sixteen different wines provided by Sokol Blosser, Ponzi Vineyards, Bethel Heights Vineyard and The Eyrie Vineyards – and, this was all before lunch!.  Most were Pinot Noirs, which is the most common wine produced in the region.  They were all lovely, but I was surprised to find how different they all were.  Each one had its own distinctive characteristics that I probably wouldn’t have noticed had I not tasted them side by side.    However, the stars of the show for me were the Pinot Gris and the Original Vines Pinot Gris Rosé shared by Jason Lett of The Eyrie Vineyards.  The Pinot Gris was a voluptuous white with rich notes of butterscotch.  The rosé was one of the most interesting and unique wines I’ve ever tasted.  It was bright and fruity, with floral notes that I couldn’t put my finger on.  I’ve never been a big fan of rosés , but I could have sipped this one forever!   Jason said that it would be aging for another year and a half before being released to the public.  I’ll be waiting in line when that time comes.  If you want to try it, you’ll have to move quickly too, as he only made twenty-five cases.

From The Pioneers, we moved on down the road, where we sample some very fine wines from Up & Comers, Ayres Vineyards, Antica Terra Winery and Matello Wines.  Even though Brad, Maggie and Marcus are relatively new to winemaking, these three winemakers are just as dedicated to their craft as the Old Guard.

By the time we arrived at Thistle for lunch, we had sampled over twenty different wines.  I don’t mind saying that by that time, I was definitely on the far side of loopy!   I needed food, and thankfully, Chef Eric had prepared a feast of small plates for us to soak up some of that wine.

This charming, award-winning restaurant specializes in modern American cuisine, and Chef Eric is well known for working hand in hand with area farmers, ranchers and fishermen to bring the freshest in local food to his tables.

After lunch, there was one more stop to make before heading back to Portland.  Did I mention that this was an action-packed day?  Well, that was kind of an understatement.   Our next side trip was to the Oregon Olive Mill at Red Ridge Farms to get an inside look at how olive oil is produced.

Since it opened in 2008, Oregon Olive Mill has been producing artisan olive oil using the olives harvested from their thirteen thousand trees spread out over seventeen acres.  The varietals planted include Arbequina, Leccino, Mission, Pendolino and Koroneiki.  Each freshly pressed oil produced offers a distinctly different flavor and aroma ranging from green and grassy, to robust and peppery.  According to grower, Paul Durant, “In the same way that different wines pair with different foods, each olive oil also offers a unique taste and pairing profile.”  Of course, we foodies have been wise to this fact for years!

After slurping some olive oil and visiting the onsite gift shop, my fellow wine-soaked foodies and I headed back to Portland for a little (and I do mean a little) downtime before our next event: burgers and brew enjoyed under the stars, high on a Pearl District rooftop.  But, that’s a story for another day.    Editing almost 1,000 photos and writing this post have utterly exhausted me!

So, stay tuned for part two of my Full On Oregon adventure!

The Fine Print:  Here is where I disclose to you that I attended this trip as a guest of Travel Oregon, which means that they paid my way and all expenses.  Although I was traveling on their dime, I was under no obligation to post this article.  I did so of my own free will (and undying gratitude), and all opinions expressed are my own.

I usually shy away from those “apology” posts that some put up when they haven’t blogged in a while.  I find them self indulgent.   I figure that if you miss a few weeks of blogging, the earth will still go right on spinning until you can jump back in.  However, after my last exasperated post about my Buttery Lemon Bars “Recipe in Pictures”, I was afraid that you might think I’d thrown in the dish towel, and that is not the case.

Life has a way of taking us by surprise from time to time, and sometimes, you just have to stop until you can catch your breath.  There have been some very stressful things going on in my life these past few months and I am trying to catch my breath.  The truth is, that lately I simply haven’t been cooking much or baking at all, because I don’t have the time or energy to do so.  And those of you who blog, understand that it’s not just about preparing food.  Putting up a post worth reading involves taking lots of photos, editing them and actually writing something  interesting – all of which  are time consuming and labor intensive.

On a brighter note, I have to tell you that I have the best readers in the world!  Several of you have emailed to check in on me.  It warms my heart to know that there are people out there who actually miss me and this little blog of mine.  Please don’t worry.  Nobody is sick,  dying or getting divorced!  It’s a temporary thing.   In fact, I’m even planning some updates and new features for SGCC.   And, I’m really going to try to spend some time this weekend whipping up some fabulous treats for you – so I hope you’re hungry!   Until then, just breathe!

XOXO,

Susan

Those of you who follow me on Twitter and Facebook already know that I was back in San Francisco last week to attend BlogHer Food 2010.  I had an absolutely marvelous time reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.  I ate like every meal was my last; I partied like it was 1999; and I shopped ‘til I dropped!  And, I also managed to learn a few things about blogging in between.    But, getting back home after such a trip brings a big dose of reality with it.  As I step back into real life, I have lots of catching up to do.

I’m always amazed (and very impressed) when I’ve barely stepped off the plane and there are already numerous conference recaps posted on various blogs.  I wish I could be that organized! I’m usually lucky if I can get something posted after two or three weeks, and by that time, it barely seems relevant anymore. Plus, there is usually so much information to write about that I get overwhelmed about halfway through and throw my hands up in despair!  This time, however, I was determined not to let too much grass grow under my feet.   So, here is my recap while all is still relatively fresh in my sieve-like little mind.

Dianne Jacob of Will Write for Food, referred to BlogHer Food as a love fest.  She’s right.  It was a love fest, or at the very least, a mutual admiration society.  For me, the conference was the ultimate social experience.  I loved having the opportunity to meet the creative forces behind the many, many blogs I enjoy reading.  I welcomed the chance to compare notes and share insight with them.  I loved seeing pictures of their kids, dogs and kitchens, hearing about their successes and frustrations and finding out where their favorite sources for vanilla beans and saffron are online.   I probably would have still gone to BlogHer Food even if there hadn’t been a huge lineup of incredibly talented speakers, celebrity-studded parties and a vast array of sponsors and exhibitors doling out scrumptious snacks and nifty swag.  Yup.  I would have gone anyway, because to me, that’s what blogging is all about – interaction, networking and community.

I don’t think that I can add much more about the conference sessions that hasn’t already been eloquently said by some of my fellow attendees. Truth be told, after going to four similar conferences, I found that many of the sessions were pretty repetitive.  Been there, done that.  But, I’d like to tell you about a few of the highlights of the weekend for me. At least, some of the highlights that I got pictures of, that is.  First on that list is…..

MEETING DORIE!!!

Yes, it’s true.  I finally got to meet Dorie Greenspan!  And, she was just as charming and lovely as I knew she’d be.  You know what else?  She wrote the sweetest note to me in my copy of Baking: From My Home to Yours.  Yes, I hauled my batter splattered, dog-eared copy of the book to San Francisco all the way from Florida hoping to get it autographed. I’m thrilled, I tell you!  Absolutely thrilled!  I wanted to get a picture of myself with Dorie, but I was too verklempt to ask her.

I also got to see another one of my “crushes” again.  Penny de los Santos was at the conference presenting another riveting session on photography.  I was so inspired by her talk at IFBC, and I looked forward to the chance to hear her again.  I just love everything Penny stands for – passion, authenticity and creativity.  She is such an incredible talent!  Seeing the world through her lens is an amazing experience.

The next highlight of my trip was getting to spend some quality time with my dear friend, Laura, of Hey What’s For Dinner Mom?. We met last year at BlogHer Food and hit it off immediately, which is funny because we are so different in so many ways.  Laura lives in Alaska.  I live in Florida.  She lives in the country. I live in suburbia. She cans her own salmon.  I buy mine at the supermarket.  She’s tall.  I’m not.  I could go on and on, but you get the drift.  Despite all of our differences, we click.  I can’t explain it. It is what it is.

Laura and I had already been planning our 2nd annual pilgrimage to Chinatown, when we decided to add another outing to the agenda. So, guess where we went.  Are you sitting down?  Really.  You should be sitting down for this.  Okay, then.  We went to…..

CHEZ PANISSE!!!

SQUEEE!!! (I never actually say “squeee”, but I heard that this was the appropriate exclamation for BlogHer Food attendees.)

I have to tell you that this is the stuff that foodie fantasies are made of!

Laura and I met up with Carol, Valerie, Amanda, Heather and Selena for a fabulous dinner at the Berkeley landmark, and we were not disappointed.

The food was spectacular!  Every dish was made with impeccably fresh ingredients

In case you were wondering, we had Pizzetta with Wild Nettles and Parmesan,  Avocado and Beet Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette, Wood Roasted Alaskan Sidestripe Shrimp with Fresh Pimientos and Fresh Pluot Tarte with Rose Ice Cream.  We had a lot of other yummy things too, but the pictures turned out too crappy to use.

On day two of the conference, we were treated to a field trip to the Ferry Building.  I met up with Elaine and Lael, who are two fab femmes!  We decided to try our luck at getting a table at The Slanted Door for lunch.   Amazingly, the restaurant was able to accommodate us.

Of course, we couldn’t help but sample as many dishes as we could fit on our table, and the food was fantastic!

My favorites were..…um…..   Hmmm.  I can’t decide.  They were all so good!

Sadly, as great as the food was – the service wasn’t.  I suspect it was supposed to be “low key” and unobtrusive.  But if it had been any more laid back, it would have been nonexistent!  Not once did anyone ever even ask if our food was okay.  The servers didn’t ask if we were finished with our plates before trying to rush off with them either.  We kept having to grab them back from their clutches.  And…..well…..you know…..a smile and a “Thanks for spending an obscene amount of money at our restaurant despite a plummeting economy” would have been nice.  We paid our bill and slipped out without receiving a second glance.  Sigh…..

The Ferry Building is filled with small artisan food shops and fresh markets brimming with gorgeous fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses.  Elaine, Lael and I had a great time window shopping and snapping pictures.  Just look at these perfect heirloom tomatoes.  They don’t even look real!

One of the places that I promised Mr. SGCC I would visit while in San Francisco was Boccolone Salumeria.  Boccolone is the retail shop of the artisanal salumi venture from Chris Cosentino and Mark Pastore of Incanto Restaurant.  The shop features over twenty varieties of Boccalone’s handmade cured meats. Their salumi are handcrafted in small batches using sustainably raised, heritage-breed pork and the highest quality spices and salts.  I picked up a few things from the shop when I was there last year, and they were a big hit with my meat loving caveman of a husband.  Forget the chocolate!  Mr. SGCC wanted some pig!

Check out all of that salumi! I grabbed about five different kinds and stuffed them in my bag.

Of course, no trip to the Ferry Building would be complete without a sweet stop at Miette.  Miette is a dainty little pastry shop, inspired by the patisseries of Paris.  The name, “Miette,” means “little crumb” in French.  Here, you will find a myriad of assorted pastries, little cakes, sables and their famous macarons.  I wanted to try one of everything, but I settled for a chocolate pot de crème and a box of deliciously delicate macarons.

Les macarons!  Oo la la!

And, I must tell you about Debra.  I’d been looking forward to meeting her for ages!  We’d been tweeting about it for months.  And, when day one of the conference wound down, I realized that I still hadn’t run into her.  I knew she was there.  I just didn’t know where.  So, the next morning, I DM’d her.  And she replied.  When I got back to the hotel from the Ferry Building, we found a quiet corner and talked each other’s ears off.  Debra was just as I’d imagined her – smart, funny and warm.  I’m so thankful that I got to spend a little time with her.  I just love her!

I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention some of the great parties I attended.  On Thursday night, several of us were invited to a cocktail party hosted by Beringer Winery.  Laura and I cabbed it over to the party venue and were met by Lori, Kristen, Maria, Amanda, Katie, Jenny and a bunch more wild and crazy food bloggers.

In case you’re wondering who those two devilishly handsome guys are in the photo with us, they are Jamie and Bobby Deen, aka the Deen Brothers, aka Paula’s adorable sons!  Yes, dear readers, Jamie and Bobby Deen were at the party too!  And, being the well-bred Southern gentlemen that they are, they were only too happy to schmooze with all of us drooling female food bloggers. And, I do mean drooling!  These boys were absolutely charming, gracious and very easy on the eyes. We were treated to a cooking demonstration as well as autographed copies of the brothers’ new book, The Deen Bros.Take It Easy.   All I can say is Mama Deen sure did something right with those two! (Many thanks to Kristen for letting me borrow this pic and the one below!)

On Friday night, these four beautiful ladies welcomed us to La Petite Soiree – “a lovely little party complete with chocolate, drinks and all sorts of foodie loveliness”.  Helene, Jane, Kristen and Stefania were the Hostesses with the Mostesses as they treated about a hundred of us to delicious nibbles and cocktails in the über cool studios of Blue Sky Photography.   Walking into the party was definitely an “ooh and aah” moment, as the whole room was bathed in a soft pink light. It was striking!  I wish I had gotten a picture of it, but my little point and shoot probably wouldn’t have done it justice anyway.

There were little food stations positioned all around the room with the most fabulous food from some of San Francisco’s most popular food cart vendors.  And, the drinks were flowing, people, with everything from fruity little iced teas to jaunty little cabernets.  La Petite soiree truly was a “lovely little party” and my sincere thanks go out to all four hostesses for including me!

Last, but certainly not least, was the blowout closing bash hosted by Elise, Jaden and Ree on Saturday night at the California Culinary Academy.  Those three sure know how to throw a party!  There was tons of great food prepared by the students at the Academy, as well as an open bar.  There was even a special “Bacon Room” with tantalizing tidbits made with – you guessed it- bacon.  And not only that, but the hunky and cerebral Michael Ruhlman was on hand to show us how to cure our own bacon.  I might just have to try it for myself.  Michael made it look so easy!

Whew! I’d better wrap things up before this blog post gets to be longer than War and Peace!  I just want to give a shout out to some of the special people I got to meet and hang with that I haven’t already mentioned.  Thank you Anita, Alice, Allison, Jen, Chuck, Shirley, Kim, Sean, David, Garrett, Irvin, Shauna, Aran, Susan and anyone else who I may have inadvertently left out.

Oh, and before I forget, here’s a pic of me channeling my inner Carmen Miranda.  Be afraid, people.  Be very afraid.

Okay, I know this post is woefully late in coming, but that’s part of the rub about travelling. Once you get back home, you’re bombarded by real life again. And for me, that means family obligations, work backlogs and writing deadlines. Unfortunately, the paying gigs take precedence, so SGCC often has to take the back burner.  Hence, the lateness of this post.  I’m not complaining, though.  I’m very grateful for the paying gigs.  I still have to pinch myself sometimes to believe that I work as a professional writer.  How fortunate I am to have the opportunity to get paid for something that I love to do!

So, I’m actually beginning to get pretty good at this travelling by myself thing.  Last May, I ventured out alone for the inaugural International Food Blogger Conference in Seattle.  I shared with you then how anxious and yet, exhilarated I was to be “putting on my big girl pants” and taking my first solo trip.  Bolstered by the wonderful experience, I trekked cross country again a few months later for BlogHer Food in San Francisco. Again, a wonderful and exciting experience!  So, when the time came to register for IFBC 2010, it was a no brainer. I was an old pro. I signed up without giving it a second thought.  And of course, I am so very glad that I did.

I arrived in Seattle a few days early so that I would be sure to have lots of time to explore the city, especially Pike Place Market.  The market was the highlight of my trip last year, and I couldn’t wait to go back!  I checked into my delightful little jewel box of a room at the Hotel Monaco and planned my attack.

I spent my first day grazing my way through Pike Place Market, the holy grail of fresh produce, meats, cheeses, specialty foods and crafts.  As always, the abundant selection of gorgeous fresh fruits and vegetables left me breathless, as did the magnificent flower displays!  Honestly, I could live at that market! After sampling some of the sweetest, juiciest peaches I’d ever tasted, I bought some to snack on back at the hotel along with some dewy, plump figs and Rainier cherries.

Then, I made my way over to Pike Place Fish and placed my order for fifty pounds of the some of the freshest seafood on the planet.  I swear I saw one of those Dungeness crabs winking at me!  I got a whole King salmon and a black cod, several pounds of halibut cheeks, Dungeness crabs (Mr. SGCC’s fave) and spot prawns.  Spot prawns! Major score! I’d only dreamed about ever finding spot prawns after seeing them prepared on Top Chef!  The folks at Pike Place Fish are great. They shipped my whole order, packed in ice, overnight to my house, so that it got there the same day I did.

I know that fifty pounds seems like a lot, but we love fish.  I also do share with family and friends, and freeze some to enjoy later.  Even flown in from the Pacific Northwest, the seafood from Pike Place Fish is superior to much of what I can find here.  It’s not cheap, but let me give you a little tip. If you buy a whole fish there, you’ll pay an average of six to seven dollars per pound less than if you buy fillets.  And, the best part is that the fish guys will clean and fillet the fish for you before they send it.  So basically, you’re getting the exact same product for a lot less money.  Sweet!

After a luscious crab roll with a crab chowder chaser from Pike Place Chowder, I popped into Beecher’s Handmade Cheese for more tasting and to check things out.  I left with a small wedge of their sassy, aged, Flagship Cheddar and visions dancing in my head of the fab fresh fig and cheddar midnight snack I would enjoy later.

On my way back to the Monaco, I zigged when I should have zagged and ended up right smack in front of Nordstrom.  What luck!  It was obviously kismet. I had to go inside.  I won’t bore you with the details of my little shopping frenzy spree.  Some things are better left unsaid.

One of the “do not miss” experiences in Seattle that I’d been told about was lunch at Armandino Batali’s storefront deli, Salumi. In case you don’t recognize the name, Armandino is the father of celebrity chef, Mario Batali.  After retiring from a thirty year career at Boeing in 1996, Batali decided to go to cooking school. He became fascinated with meat, particularly cured meats, and spent the next few years learning everything there was to know about the art of curing meat, including a stint traveling through Italy to learn with the masters.  Salumi was the culmination of Batali’s culinary journey.

Only open four afternoons a week, this little hole in the wall deli is one of the most popular lunch spots in the Emerald City.  The line to get in regularly snakes down the street and around the block.  Despite the long wait, no self respecting Italian foodie would dream of missing an opportunity of a meal there – especially not me!   So, on Friday morning, I hiked all the way down there to be gastronomically wowed.  Luckily, I got there early and only had to wait about forty minutes.

I ordered Salumi’s signature Porchetta sandwich and what a sandwich it was! My, oh my, oh my!   I held in my hands a masterpiece of glistening, juicy, hunks and shreds of pork punctuated with sweet peppers and onions all enveloped in a massive slab of crusty Italian bread.  The heady aroma of garlic, herbs and pig made me weak in the knees.  I could barely contain myself long enough to snap a picture of it!  On the way out, I ran into several other food bloggers waiting on line. Word gets around!

Thoroughly satiated (and stuffed to the gills), I then made my way to the Filson store.  What? You’ve never heard of the Filson store?  C.C. Filson opened his flagship Seattle sports and outerwear store in 1897, during the Great Klondike Gold Rush.  Among other things, the company manufactures the highest quality jackets, coats, sweaters, shirts, pants, caps and shorts, as well as leather goods and even luggage.  Filson products are a great favorite of Mr. SGCC. It’s no small wonder why, since he is a Filson too.  I promised him that I would make the time to visit (and pick up a few things) while I was in town.  I had to chuckle when I handed the store clerk my credit card to pay for my stuff.  She just kind of stared at it for a minute, looked at me and then back at the card.  Then, she asked the inevitable questions:  “Is your name really Filson?” and “Are you one of THE Filsons?” To which I replied, “Yes, and yes.” That’s right, folks.  Mr. SGCC is distantly, many times removed, somewhere down the line, related to C.C. Filson.  So you see, there was no way I could leave Seattle without stopping by.  And by the way, the staff was just as nice and helpful as could be, even before they knew my name. 

I got back to my digs at the Monaco with just enough time for a quick nap and a quick change before the IFBC opening festivities.   Luckily, the cocktail reception was being held at the hotel so I didn’t have to travel far.  I was beyond excited to see old friends again and hopefully, make many more new ones! But, this post is already waaaay to long!  So, as the immortal Scarlett O’Hara would say, “Tomorrow is another day!”.   I promise you it won’t take me two weeks to post Part 2 of my Seattle adventure.

Many moons ago, I got an email from fellow food blogger, Nick Evans of Macheesmo, asking if I would be interested in participating in a project he was working on called 55 Knives. He explained that 55 Knives would be a compilation of stories, recipes and tips from 55 food bloggers from around the Internet in the form of an eBook. He wanted to know if I would be one of the fifty-five featured bloggers.  I was flattered…and intrigued.  So, I said yes.

In case you’re wondering, an eBook is a downloadable book that you can store on your computer and view at your leisure.  Once you buy it, it’s yours.  You can read it from your computer, print it out and generally use it like you would any other book. It’s searchable and has lots of live, clickable links as well.  You can even download it to your Kindle! Pretty nifty, huh?

Anyway, the book has been out for a month already and believe it or not,  I’m just now getting around to telling you about it. Between magazine deadlines, car accidents, new puppies, missing mojos, cruises and things I won’t bore you with here, this is the first time I’ve had the chance to write about it.  Sigh… I’m always late to the party.  But, just because it’s taken me a while to write about 55 Knives, don’t even think for a minute that it isn’t a great read. It is – especially if you’re a foodie.

55 Knives is full of entertaining musings and terrific recipes from some of your favorite food bloggers, including Lydia from The Perfect Pantry, Kristen from Dine & Dish, Lori from The Recipe Girl, Peter from Kalofagas and many, many more. Each author has woven their own personal story around the recipes they’ve shared, some sentimental and poignant, and some downright funny.  Nick has worked extremely hard for almost a year putting 55 Knives together, and he has done a fantastic job!

My chapter is about my childhood memories of my grandparents and includes my grandmother’s recipe for pasta e fagioli.   Here’s a sneak peek of my dish:

So, are you intrigued too? If so, I have good news for you. You, dear readers, can have a copy of 55 Knives for your very own by clicking on the button below.  The book costs $19.00 which is a steal considering all of the information you’ll have access to. Plus, you’ll have 55 great new recipes to check out just in time for your Fourth of July festivities.  And, if you order here, you’ll be supporting both Macheesmo and SGCC.

So, what are you waiting for?  Grab yourself a copy of 55 Knives today.  You’ll laugh. You’ll cry.  And, you’ll get very, very hungry!

It’s no secret that I have a soft spot in my heart for POM Wonderful.  Not only does the company produce some excellent, high quality products using sustainable business practices,  but the people behind the brand seem innovative, caring and very supportive of the food blogging community.  Their recent POM Wonderful Blogger Harvest Tour is a shining example of that.  Although, due to circumstances beyond my control (United Airlines Sucks), I didn’t actually get to attend the tour, Jeff and Andrea from POM Wonderful did everything they could to make me feel very much included in the festivities, including sending me a big package full of POM goodies afterward.

The pomegranate is an unusual, yet versatile fruit with many delicious and creative uses.  Its health benefits have been touted far and wide. Pomegranate juice is loaded with antioxidants – about three times more than are found in green tea or red wine. Antioxidants help to guard the body against the substances that can cause premature aging, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and lots of other diseases or health conditions.  If that isn’t reason enough to indulge, there are scads of “wonderful” recipes using pomegranates and their juice.   The arils (seeds) are perfect for tossing in salads, stirring into yogurt, sprinkling over cereal or garnishing cocktails.  Pomegranate juice is ideal for glazes, cocktails and marinades.

Here are a few recipes from the SGCC archives that were inspired by pomegranates:

Just look at this fabulous Pomegranate Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream!

Or, maybe you’d prefer this tender, moist and juicy POMegranate Glazed Pork Tenderloin.

Don’t they both look delicious?

In case you didn’t know, November happens to be National Pomegranate Month.  November also officially kicks off the “Holiday Season”.  What better way to highlight the unique qualities of the pomegranate than with a little healthy holiday competition?   The fine folks at POM Wonderful have offered to send a case of their terrific, 100% pure pomegranate juice to three of you lucky readers.  To sweeten the proverbial pot, I’m also going to pair that with three copies of Nigella Lawson’s fabulous new holiday cookbook, Nigella Christmas: Food Family Friends Festivities.

Let me tell you people, you really want one of these.  This is one gorgeous book!  And, it includes everything you could possibly wish for to make your holidays merry and bright. (Everything except the snow, that is.  You’re on your own for that one!) Nigella’s book has recipes and suggestions for everything from from party canapés, cocktails and manageable mass catering to scrumptious Christmas cakes, cookies and puddings. There are also chapters on no-fuss brunch dishes, quick and easy homemade edible gifts and edible tree-decorations.  The book also includes quite a few recipes using pomegranates!

So, how do you score one of these nifty giveaways?  I’m glad you asked.  All you have to do to be eligible to win is leave a comment below telling me about your favorite holiday recipe using pomegranates or pomegranate juice.  If you don’t already have a recipe in mind, then tell me what kind of recipe you’d like to create using pomegranates or pomegranate juice.  Please only comment once, though. Duplicate comments will not be considered.  However, if you’d like an extra chance to win, I’ve got you covered.

• If you tweet this post on Twitter or share the link on Facebook, leave another comment letting me know, with the link, and you’ll get one extra chance to win.  You can do this twice, for a maximum of two (2) extra chances.

• If you have a blog and actually write a post about your recipe, leave a comment, including the link to your post,  and you will get FIVE (5) extra chances.  Of course, you should also put a link back to this post in yours.

The deadline to submit your comments is Saturday, November 28th, 2009, at 11:59 p.m. EST. I’ll pick the winning comments using the handy, dandy Random Number Generator and post the results here on Sunday, November 29th.  I’m purposely setting the deadline for after Thanksgiving to give you time in case you want to make your recipe for the holiday and post about it.

Good luck!!!

Do you remember the old United Airlines slogan “Fly the Friendly Skies”?  It was the tagline on most of the company’s advertising from 1966 to about 1996. They promised an idyllic in-flight experience comparable to what you might encounter at a 4-star resort.  Take a look:

Doesn’t that look like fun?  I don’t know about you, but I sure want Nancy as my flight attendant the next time I fly anywhere!

Well, let me tell you something, people.  United’s skies may be friendly, but here on the ground the airline is anything but!  In fact, this next video is a much more accurate representation of the treatment I received a few days ago when I attempted to fly to California from the Tampa International Airport. 

Yes, I said “attempted”.  That’s because I never made it on the plane.  In fact, I never made it to California at all, although not for lack of trying.  Right now, I’m sitting at home in front of my computer, absolutely seething with anger over what happened.  You see, dear readers, this Lonesome Traveler has been grounded!

It all started a few months ago when the kind folks at POM Wonderful invited me to come out to California as their guest for the first ever POM Wonderful Harvest Blogger Tour held on October 19-21.  The trip was to include a tour of POMS 18,000 acres of pomegranate orchards, a tour of their fruit processing and juicing plant, and a lot of great food, networking and fun.  There were around fifteen bloggers invited to participate and I was so flattered and excited to be one of them!

On Monday Mr. SGCC and I got up before dawn (which was a herculean effort for me), and made the 70 mile trip up to the Tampa airport, for what was to be the beginning of another Lonesome Traveler adventure.   My flight was scheduled to depart at 8:00 am, with a brief layover in Denver, and land in Fresno around noon.

We arrived at the airport at 7:00.  We didn’t want to waste time parking, so Mr. SGCC dropped me off right in front of the United Airlines entrance at the terminal.  I stood in line for for a while at the Skycap station to get checked in.  When it was my turn, I was told that they couldn’t check me in outside and that I would have to go inside to do so.  So, I went inside and waited for a while on another line.  By the time I got up to the front of the queue, it was 7:21.  I found myself in front of a scrawny, pinchy-faced, little blonde woman with an attitude.  I handed over my suitcase and told her that I was checking in for the flight to Denver.  Without ever even looking up at me, she informed me that check-in for my flight had just closed and that I wouldn’t be able to get on the flight.

WTF!!!

I started to get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, and told myself that she must have misheard me.  After all, she didn’t seem to be paying much attention.  So, I tried again.

Me:  “No, I’m on the Denver flight.  It’s not set to take off for another forty minutes.”

Pinchy-Faced Snotty United Airlines Employee: “I heard you.  That flight is closed.”

Me: (incredulously) “Closed?  What do you mean closed?”

P-FSUAE:  “I mean closed.  We have a 45 minute cut off time.”

Me:  “But…I was here well before that!  I’ve been waiting in line outside and then on this one since 7:00!”

P-FSUAE: (randomly punching keys on her computer) “Well, you weren’t here.  It’s 45 minutes from the time you get here.”

Me:  “Are you serious!  I have plenty of time to make that flight!  I didn’t even know that you had a 45 minute cut-off! Every other airline I’ve flown on has a 30 minute cut-off”

P-FSUAE: (still not looking at me) “Well, it’s on our web site.  You should have checked.”

Me:  “Look.  I didn’t make these travel arrangements.  Someone else made them for me.  If I had, I probably would have checked your web site.  But, it never occurred to me to do so.  In the time we’ve wasted debating this, I could have already gotten through security and been on the plane!  I NEED to get on that plane!!!”

P-FSUAE: (as she turns and walks away) “Sorry, there’s nothing I can do.”

Me: (really pissed off and a little hysterical) “Listen lady, don’t you walk away from me!  I want to talk to your supervisor.”

P-FSUAE:  “She’ll tell you the same thing.  We can’t check you in.”

Me: (begging) “Please!  Isn’t there anything I can do to get on that flight (like buying you a condo in the Bahamas)  This is a really special trip?  I’ve driven all the way up here from Sarasota!”

P-FSUAE:  “No.”

Me: (thinking shitshitshitshit) “Sigh…Okay, can you get me on another flight that will eventually get me to Fresno?”

P-FSUAE: (back at the computer, clicking away) “You can go standby to Chicago, then standby to Los Angelis and then standby to Fresno.  If you make it on all of the flights, you’ll get to Fresno at 10:30 pm Pacific time.”

Me:  “That’s it?  So, what are my chances of making it on all three flights?”

P-FSUAE: (looking down again) “Not good.”

Me:  “So, there’s a good chance that I’ll be stranded in either Chicago or L.A.?”

P-FSUAE:  “Yes.”

Me:  “That’s it?”

P-FSUAE:  “Yes.”

Me:  “Whatever happened to ‘The Friendly Skies of United’?”

P-FSUAE: (blank stare and no response)

Then, P-FSUAE turned and walked away again, leaving me standing there with my suitcase, my unused ticket and an angry mob forming behind me.  I had no choice but to call Mr. SGCC and tell him to come back and get me.

I was crestfallen! I was bereft!  But most of all, I was f%@$*&g FURIOUS!!

(Photo from istockphoto.com)

When Mr. SGCC got back to the airport, we spent the next two hours running from one airline counter to the next trying to get me on a plane that somehow would end up in Fresno that day.  We got bupkis.   I do want to note, however, that every single employee we spoke to from every other airline was helpful, courteous and sympathetic – unlike those at United.  One lady at Continental told us that the United flight was probably overbooked and that they had most likely given away my seat before I’d ever even had my unpleasant exchange with P-FSUAE.  Based on P-FSUAE’s rapt attention to her computer screen, she probably already knew that while she was arguing with me!

Before leaving the airport, we eventually did speak to a rather apathetic United Airlines supervisor who told us that the reason that they didn’t check me in was because I had a suitcase to check.  She said that if I had only had only a carry-on bag, I could have still gotten on my flight.

HUH?!?!

I had plenty of room in my carry-on bag for some fresh underwear and a change of clothes.  I could have easily left my suitcase behind with Mr. SGCC and just picked up a few things in Fresno. But, I didn’t have that option, because P-FSUAE, never told me that I was being denied because of my suitcase!  Remember, I asked her if there was anything I could do to get on that plane?  Why didn’t she tell me then?

I posed that same question to the apathetic supervisor and do you know what she said to me?  You’re gonna love this one!  She looked me right in the eye and told me “Well, you should have known that.”

I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT???

How the f*&# should I have known that?  It’s not like I work for United Airlines and have anything to do with setting their policies!  I’m not a seasoned traveler who globetrots around the world and flies all the time!  I’m just a poor schlub food blogger who was given a once in a lifetime opportunity and got screwed because of a lazy and callous airline employee who never got the memo that the customer is always right!

By the way, when I finally got home and after I called Jeff at POM Wonderful to tell him what had happened, I did go and take a look on the United Airlines web site.  With a little digging, I did find the section about check-in times and yes, there is a 45 minute cut-off for baggage – not passengers. It was not listed under the Itineraries and Check-in section, which is where I would think is the logical place for such information.  Instead, it was listed in the Baggage section at the bottom of the page under the heading “Additional Information”.  If United Airlines is such a stickler on this issue, shouldn’t this information be more prominently displayed and easier to find?   In fact, why isn’t this rule printed on the travel documents themselves?

I’ve also spoken to several travel agents about what happened and every one told me that United Airlines was notorious for puling this sort of thing on passengers and that they were difficult to work with.  Each agreed with the theory that the flight was probably oversold and that they gave away my seat.

Now, I’m not saying that I am completely blameless in all of this.  In retrospect, I probably should have checked out the web site and I might have learned about the check-in rule.  Though, I wouldn’t have been looking for it, so maybe not. Since I’d never, ever had this situation come up before, it never occurred to me that this could happen.

What do you all think about it?  Was United Airlines right or wrong in refusing to allow me to board my flight when there was still time to do so?  Since I had obviously been waiting on line prior to the cut-off time, should they have tried to accommodate me?  Should  P-FSUAE have explained to me that it was my baggage that was the problem and let me have the option of leaving it behind?  Should the airline be more aggressive in letting passengers know that there even is a cut-off time?  Or, do you all think that I am a big crybaby who got what she deserved?

Jeff from POM and the other lucky bloggers who actually got to attend were kind enough to keep me posted on all that I was missing was happening.  I alternated between being happy and sad about that.  From all of the pictures and posts I’ve seen, I think they all had a wonderful time.   Below is a list of links of all the bloggers who were there. I wish I could have met them.  I hope you check out their blogs and see for yourself that POM Wonderful really is wonderful!

http://GreenLiteBites.com

http://balancejoyanddelicias.wordpress.com/

http://carrotsncake.com

http://www.fitnessista.com

http://www.thewickednoodle.com

http://livinghealthyintherealworld.wordpress.com

http://www.flanboyanteats.com

http://tasteofpace.blogspot.com

http://healthytippingpoint.blogspot.com

http://dinedishdelish.blogspot.com

http://glutenfreeeasily.com

http://www.visionsofsugarplum.com

http://ericriveracooks.com

http://heathereatsalmondbutter.com

Sheesh!  It’s unbelievable how long it took me to prepare this post!  It’s also unbelievable to find that after shooting almost 500 pictures, how few were actually usable!   Such is the cross of a food blogger, I guess.  But, I couldn’t not tell you about the rest of my San Francisco adventure, so here goes….

Saturday was conference day and I hit the ground running.  I’m not normally a morning person, but my body clock was still on East Coast time, so 7:00 am felt like 10:00 am, which was fine with me!  As I made the short hike from my hotel to the St. Regis for BlogHer Food, my anticipation was great and my expectations were high.  Sure, I was looking forward to the conference itself, but I was looking even more forward to meeting so many of the talented and creative bloggers that I’d previously only known through my Google reader. 

When I arrived, breakfast in the Gallery Ballroom was in full swing.  I scanned the sea of animated faces hoping to zero in on someone I knew, but no such luck.  So, I found myself an empty chair next to a few friendly faces, grabbed some steaming hot coffee and settled in.

Perhaps now would be a good time to mention that I have the memory of a sieve. I met so many lovely bloggers during the course of the day, and for the life of me, I just can’t remember all of their names.  This is what happens when you start to get old.  They say “You’re not getting older, you’re getting better”, but that is a lot of crap.  Trust me, we’re just getting older, and in my case, “stupider”!   So, I’m going to apologize right now to anyone and everyone that I met whose name escapes me.  You know who you are.

What I do remember, however, are the various breakout sessions I attended and the excellent speakers who led them. Many of these presenters are the very bloggers that I often turn to for inspiration and guidance for my own site.  I tried to hit as many as I could for at least part of the time. There was something for everyone, whether you were looking to improve your photography skills, home your writing style, save the World or get a book deal.   The folks at BlogHer provided for official livebloggers to cover all of the conference sessions and have graciously made all of the posts available on the BlogHer web site.  There is also a BlogHer Food Flickr group where you can check out hundreds of photos of all the action.

During the morning break I decided to run back to my hotel and unload my laptop and my swag bag.  As I waited for the elevator, I glanced around and saw a very familiar face.  My heart started to race and my palms started to sweat as it dawned on me who that face belonged to.

Are you ready for this?

Really, really ready?

Okay. Here goes.

It was…………

TIM GUNN!!!

I kid you not. Tim Gunn from Project Runway was standing right next to me, waiting for the elevator!  I almost died! Project Runway is one of my all time favorite TV shows, and I absolutely adore Tim Gunn.  What else could I do but introduce myself and gush all over him?  We rode in the elevator together and chatted the whole way up to the 19th floor, where I got off.  Let me tell you, dear readers, that he is just as friendly and charming in real life as he comes across on television.  A true class act!   He was in town to emcee a swanky Kate Spade fashion show at Bloomingdales, and he actually invited me to come. Oh, if only I could have!  But, BlogHer Food was my priority that day and so I had to decline. But I will admit, I was tempted!

It was only after I reached my hotel room that I cringed.  “OMG!” I thought.  “What do I look like?”  “Is my hair okay?” “Do I have lipstick on?” “Was my outfit cute enough?  ”Did Tim Gunn think I looked like a fashion disaster!?!?” ACK!!! I imagined him tsk-tsking and calling down to the front desk to ask for the room number of that poor, unfortunate blogger so that he could send Nina Garcia to come and work me over.

I rushed to the mirror, held my breath and took a look.  Hmmm.  Not too bad.  It was a good thing that I wanted to impress my blogger friends and took some extra time that morning to gussy up a little.  Still, I couldn’t be too careful.  I swiped on another coat of mascara and flat-ironed my hair.  You know, just in case I ran into Tim Gunn again on my way out.

Luckily, I arrived back at the St. Regis just in time for lunch.  Or was it?  I pulled up a chair at a table with Jen, Helen, Chuck, Anita, Tami, Caitlin, and Ruth Ann,  and we all admired how prettily set up it was. Oh boy!  I was really looking forward to that lunch!  There was a lovely Salade Nicoise in the center of the table.  So far, so good.  Then, I took a gander at the menu.  The lunch was being sponsored by Bertolli Frozen Meals.  Then, I realized that the lunch actually WAS Bertolli Frozen Meals!  HUH?  Frozen pasta meals served at a luncheon for 300 food bloggers?

Don’t get me wrong.  I have nothing against Bertolli.  In fact, I happily use several of their products.  I’ve even tried some of their pasta meals, and they’re not bad in a pinch, especially if you add other stuff to them.  And, I’m certainly grateful for their sponsorship.  But, I’m sorry.  You. do. not. serve. frozen. food. at. a. food. blogger. luncheon. period.  I suppose we should all have been thankful that the official lunch sponsor wasn’t Healthy Choice, another conference sponsor.  Imagine the uproar if we had been served micro-meals for lunch instead!  Yikes!

To add insult to injury, we then were subjected to an hour long infomercial hosted by Bertolli’s pitch man, Rocco DiSpirito.  Rocco bounced around the room babbling something about we food bloggers “having the power” and being “heroes”.  Whatever. He also tried to convince us that he serves these meals to company and everybody loves them.  Yeah, right! It’s a good thing that Rocco is so devilishly handsome or else things might have gotten ugly!  Oh wait….things did get a little ugly.

As I was in denial, I didn’t actually take any pictures of the Bertolli food, but I did get a nice shot of Jen taking pictures of it (with Amy in the background).

I also took a picture of Tami taking a picture of me.  Hee hee!

I tried to get a decent shot of Rocco, but he moved around too damn much.

BTW, I heard that several of my blogger friends got wind of the lunch menu ahead of time and slipped out to a nearby restaurant for lunch.  All I have to say to them is…..

Why in the hell didn’t you invite me!!! 

After lunch there was a fun chocolate demonstration sponsored by Scharffen Berger featuring Chef Elizabeth Faulkner, chef/owner of the popular San Francisco restaurant, bar, and patisserie, Citizen Cake.   You may remember Chef Faulkner from Top Chef Masters and Iron Chef America, but she has also been featured in numerous publications such as Fine Cooking, Food & Wine, Pastry Art & Design, Gourmet and W.   In honor of Sharffen Berger’s Chocolate Adventure Contest, Chef Faulkner created some truly sticky, gooey, creamy, chewy chocolate creations using a myriad of wild and wacky ingredients.  When she was finished, we were all given latex surgical gloves and encouraged to dig in with our hands!  It was interesting to say the least, but maybe a little too sticky, gooey, creamy, chewy – even for me!

Here’s Joy from Gourmeted enjoying a little mid-afternoon chocolate overload.  Isn’t she a total cutie pie?  I love her!

After a fun and inspiring keynote Q & A session with Elise from Simply Recipes, Ree from The Pioneer Woman Cooks and my favorite ice cream guru, David Lebovitz, we all hightailed it out to the terrace for cocktails, canapés and conversation.

From there, I met up with some more terrific bloggers for dinner at one of the newest SF hotspots, Contigo. Andrea, Lydia, Kalyn, T.W., Val, Rebecca and I snagged a few taxis and headed over to one of the most memorable meals I’ve ever eaten.  Contigo is a new Spanish and Catalan restaurant featuring small (“pica-pica”) and large dishes (“platillos”) inspired by the vivid flavors of that area. They also offer artisanal hams and Catalan flatbreads from their wood burning oven. Chef  Brett cooks everything from scratch using the products of  local, organic, and humane farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and artisans.

Here we are:  T.W., Moi, Rebecca, Lydia, Andrea, Kalyn and Val.  What a handsome group!

Of course, being food bloggers, we couldn’t come to a consensus on what to order, so we pretty much ordered some of everything on the menu.  With all of the interesting and delicious sounding offerings to choose from, how could we ever have limited ourselves to just a few?  After sampling at least a dozen different dishes, you would think that they’d all begin to run together, but each one was as unique and distinctly flavored as the one before it.  I’m still dreaming of the Tripe with Chorizo and Chickpeas, the Patatas Bravas and the Calamares Stuffed with Lobster Mushrooms.  And the Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Oxtail, Pine Nuts and Raisins?  Sublime!

This is the Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, which is the crown jewel of Spanish hams.  Aged for 36 months, his ham is from free-range pigs that roam oak forests along the border between Spain and Portugal, eating only acorns.

If you ever have the good fortune to find yourself in San Francisco, you MUST visit Contigo.  It really is an experience not to be missed.  Besides, you’ll be supporting a fellow food blogger.  Brett Emerson, the chef/owner of the place, is the voice behind In Praise of Sardines.

After literally rolling ourselves out the door of Contigo, we had one more stop to make. Jaden, Ree and Elise were graciously hosting a big post-conference bash at Tropisueno, and we were late, late, late!  Let me just say that these ladies really know how to throw a party!  There was lots of dancing, eating, drinking and all around celebrating.  I wish we had been able to get there a little sooner as the festivities were winding down when we arrived.  But, it was still great fun to do some more mingling with everyone.  Our hostesses generously presented each of us with a fab swag bag filled with all sorts of useful kitchen goodies from Chef’s Catalog.  My sincerest thanks go out to all three of them, not just for the party and the swag, but for also being a constant source of inspiration to me, and for showing by example what a great food blog can be!

As I’ve said before, all good things must come to an end, and BlogHer Food was no exception.  I laughed a lot, ate a lot, shopped a lot and most importantly, I learned a lot.  I’m so thankful that I had the opportunity to reconnect with some great bloggers that I already knew and to meet so many awesome new bloggers for the first time, like Ashley, Caitlin, Laura, Dana, Susan, Kristen, Zoe, Amy, Stephanie, Wendy, Alice, Denise, Ruth Ann, Cora and so many more!

Here’s a shot I took of the amazing night time view from my hotel room window.  Isn’t it pretty?  I love how all of the city lights look like they have little tails.  They kind of look like neon tadpoles, don’t they?   I miss San Francisco!

Kalyn has posted a list of lots of other BlogHer Food recaps on her site, so check it out if you’d like some different perspectives.

In the meantime, I’ve been having some fun cooking with the fresh chanterelles and black truffle that I bought at The Ferry Building Marketplace and hand carried home three thousand miles in my purse! But, more on that later.