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!

I’ve sat on this post for three whole days, debating whether or not to publish it.  It seemed like a good idea at the time I wrote it, but then I started to get cold feet.  I suspect that there are at least a few of my fellow food bloggers who have struggled with some of these same issues.  So, I decided to put myself out there, warts and all, in the hope that my observations may be of some value.   Consider yourself forewarned. This post is not like the ones I usually write here on SGCC.    There aren’t any gooey chocolate chip cookies or other tasty treats waiting for you at the end. But, if you happen to have any cookies or cupcakes or muffins handy, now might be a good time to grab one to munch on as you read.

Last weekend, I attended the Food Blog Forum conference in Orlando. The event was held at Walt Disney World; and was probably one of the best blogging conferences I’ve attended. I’m not going to spend time in this post waxing poetic about all of the lovely and wildly creative bloggers I met there – although there were many. Nor am I going to rhapsodize about all of the marvelous food that I enjoyed – although there was quite a lot of that too. With over a hundred attendees at the conference, I’m confident that posts about those things will abound. Disney World is already a magical place all by itself. However, I found a deeper, more meaningful magic of my own there, and that is what I feel compelled to share with you. 

Like so many of us do, I’ve spent the better part of my life defining myself by what I represent to others – wife, mother, daughter, blogger, friend. But, the one question I never ask myself anymore is “Who am I really?”. I’ve been wearing so many different hats for so many years that I can’t tell which one fits me anymore. If I close my eyes tightly and think really hard, I can almost conjure up the shadow of a memory of who I once was before responsibility and obligation clouded my vision. I remember being eager, enthusiastic and full of big dreams. I was bright and talented and fun! What I also was (and still am), is a great big “scaredy cat”. I was afraid of failing because I couldn’t measure up; and afraid of succeeding because then the world might expect more of me than I was able to deliver.

I’ve carried that fear like a scarlet letter. It’s always there, lurking in the background – slowly chipping away at the shiny veneer protecting my self-confidence. The funny thing about fear, though, is that it can paralyze you. Doing nothing eliminates the risk of failure – and success.  At some point – I’m not sure exactly when – I must have decided that it was safer to follow the path set out for me by others, rather than forge my own way. That way, my foibles would be on them. I don’t think it was a conscious decision. I don’t even remember making it. What I do know is, that once I started SGCC, I suddenly had to guide myself – be myself. For better or for worse, it was all me. And I think that scared me most of all.

Don’t get me wrong! I dearly love this little blog of mine. For almost five years, I’ve cultivated and nurtured it, and watched it grow. It’s given me the opportunity to share one of my passions, as well as a venue to rant and ramble, when I feel I need to. SGCC also introduced me to this wonderfully supportive food blogging community. Through it, I’ve forged some lasting friendships and rubbed elbows with many brilliant chefs and writers whose work I respect tremendously. (I mean, I got to meet Dorie Greenspan for heaven’s sake! How cool is that!?!?) And, it’s even led me to a new writing career. But, I sometimes feel as though I’m still trying to find my own voice, while at the same time worrying that once I find it, it won’t be loud enough to be heard over the din.

We food bloggers are famous for sharing recipes, both our own and everybody else’s. However, the kind of recipe I’ve been craving lately isn’t edible. When I decided to attend FBF, I was looking for some photography and writing tips, SEO tricks and a little inspiration. Secretly, I was also hoping for a magic recipe that would help me better clarify who I am as a blogger, where I want to go with it and how to get there. Easy peasy, huh? Yeah, right!

During the morning session of FBF, somewhere in between David Leite’s fabulous presentation on how to write badass blog posts and Dawn Viola’s illuminating talk on moving your blog from hobby to professional, my magic happened. Jaden’s charismatic and adorable husband, Scott, who spent several years as a motivational speaker with Tony Robbins, shared his simple strategy for getting what you want from your life. I think I heard angels singing! Seriously. It was so logical and straightforward, that I wanted to thump myself on my head for not getting it sooner. It was exactly what I needed.  And because I love you, dear readers, I want to share it with you. Here is Scott Hair’s magically inedible recipe for success:

1. Know what you want. Be very specific.

2. Make a list of the reasons why you want it. Again, be specific. (You must know why you want something in order to obtain it.)

3. For each reason you list, identify actions that can get you closer to your goal – and take them.

4. Be prepared to make the adjustments necessary to get to #1.

And, because I can never leave any recipe alone, here’s my little tweak on this one: Don’t let fear stand in the way of your goals. Throw it out the window and let it fly away so that you can soar.

Do you sometimes get frustrated trying to find your own voice? Have you ever been distracted from your goals by fear or anxiety? Do you ever not take risks for fear of failure? I think most of us probably have these issues from time to time.  We bloggers are especially vulnerable, because we are so exposed.  The important thing is to keep moving forward and not beat ourselves up over every little thing.

If you ever have the opportunity to attend a FBF conference, do it.  It is so much more than a seminar on the mechanics of blogging.  It was an enlightening experience in a supportive and nonjudgmental environment.  I found it to be a breath of fresh air compared to most of the other conferences I’ve been to.  There were no clique-y, exclusionary events to feel bad about not being invited to.  There was no jockeying for position by frantic bloggers trying to make sweet deals with major brands or book publishers.  There were no “cool kids” there.  We were all treated the same way – like we had value.  I came home feeling like I could achieve anything I wanted if I was willing to do the work.  And, I didn’t have one single stiletto print on my back from someone trying to climb over me to get to the top!

The path on my journey may still be a little crooked, but I’m trying to navigate it as best I can. I’m still a work in progress. But then, aren’t we all? I do, however, think I know what I’m looking for, and have my magic recipe to help me find it. And now, so do you.

If you’d like to learn more about FBF, check out some of these  other excellent posts:

http://www.katiescucina.com/2012/03/food-blog-forum-2012/

http://www.sweetbitesblog.com/journal/2012/3/20/food-blog-forum-orlando-round-two.html

http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/2012/03/food-blog-forum-orlando-2012-wrap-up.html

http://penniesonaplatter.com/2012/03/22/food-blog-forum-orlando-2012/

http://mysweetzepol.blogspot.com/2012/03/day-of-food-blog-forum-orlando-2012.html

http://fifteenspatulas.com/2012/03/21/orlando-food-blog-forum-2012-a-recap-of-food-blogger-heaven/

http://onecurlyfryinaboxoftheregular.com/2012/03/22/food-blog-forum-orlando-at-walt-disney-world/

http://www.bigbearswife.com/2012/03/food-blog-forum-orlando-disney-trip.html

http://www.merrygourmet.com/2012/03/the-food-blog-forum-orlando-disney-edition/

http://www.ingredientsinc.net/2012/03/food-blog-forum-orlando-disney-fun/

http://thevillagecook.com/food-blog-forum-12-part-1/

http://www.lifebythespoonful.com/2012/03/lessons-learned-at-food-blog-forum-orlando/

http://sarahscucinabella.com/2012/03/21/looking-back-on-food-blog-forum-orlando-2012/

http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/2012/03/20/food-blog-forum-orlando-2012-in-pictures/

http://creativekitchenadventures.com/2012/03/23/food-blog-forum-orlando-walt-disney-world-resort-day-1/

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.

Everyone has their own Achilles’ heel – the thing that sends dread seeping through their pores.  That one thing that takes hold of their breath, brings them to their knees and gets their hearts racing like a runaway freight train.  There often  isn’t any rhyme or reason to it.  It just is.   And, it’s terrible.

My Achilles’ heel – the one I spent most of my life, including years of therapy, trying to conquer – is my fear of elevators.  There is no scientific name for it.  However, that doesn’t make it any less real.  Many describe it as a combination of acrophobia (fear of heights) and claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces).    I don’t care how science defines it.  I call it terror. 

For years, whenever I have had to ride an elevator,  I have manipulated the situation so that I wouldn’t have to ride alone.  I’ve loitered in more building lobbies than I care to admit, waiting around for someone – anyone -  else to come along and push that “up” button.  I’ve even grabbed people off the street and begged them to ride the elevator up with me!  Oh, the shame…

These past few years, I’ve gotten a lot better about dealing with elevators.  I told myself that if I wanted to start traveling on my own to various blogger conferences, I would have to suck it up and “get over it”.  So, I found a relatively tall building here at home, and practiced going up and down its elevator by myself until I could do it without breaking out in a cold sweat.  After attending several conferences, I began to get pretty good at it.  Sure, each time those big steel doors snapped shut on me, my heart skipped a little beat.  But, I was okay.  Dare I say that I even became a little blasé about it.  Score one for me!

Why am I telling you this?  Good question.  I had intended this to be a lighthearted post about my experience in Atlanta last weekend for BlogHer Food.  I reconnected with several old friends there and made some great new ones too.  I gleaned lots of valuable information from the lineup of talented and generous speakers.  And, though it wasn’t everything I hoped it would be, I had a pretty good time – until I was ready to go home.

On Sunday morning, after the conference, I went out for a late breakfast with Andrea Meyers from Andrea’s Recipes and Sean Timberlake from Hedonia and Punk Domestics.  We went to Café Intermezzo and had some delicious food and great conversation.  I was feeling pretty content and relaxed about my flight home.  My bags were packed and ready to go and all I had to do once I returned to the hotel was grab a cab to the airport.  Easy peasy, huh?  Hah!

Once back at the Westin, Andrea, Sean and I hopped into the elevator to go to our respective rooms.  There were also several other people with us – two cute, young Chinese girls who didn’t speak any English, and Greg and Annette, a nice couple from Jacksonville visiting with their teenaged daughter.  Their significance will soon be revealed.

Andrea got off on the 18th floor.  Sean and I were riding up to the 29th and 30th floors.  We were chatting with our elevator-mates, when all of a sudden the damn thing stopped.  That’s right.  STOPPED! It took a few seconds for me to grasp what was happening and then…

OMG!!!  WE’RE STUCK IN THE ELEVATOR!!!

My Achilles’ heel had just been stabbed.  And, it took me down.

OMG. OMG. OMG.  I kept repeating it over and over in my head like a mantra.  I didn’t know what to do, but I knew that what I didn’t want to do was have a full blown panic attack in front of my fellow prisoners.

Everyone else seemed pretty calm, especially the Chinese girls, who didn’t seem to even realize what had happened.  They stood huddled in a corner, chatting and texting nonstop.   “Were they crazy?” I thought. “Don’t these people realize that we’re trapped in a giant tin can?”

As it turns out, Annette works for Starwood Hotels, the company that owns the Westin.   She immediately took charge, sounded the alarm and pressed the call button for help.  Annette was the epitome of cool, calm and collected professionalism.  The voice of the Westin’s head of security was soon piped in to us, telling us that help was coming.  She unsuccessfully tried to reset the elevator several times.   I had no idea that they could be controlled remotely!   Finally, she was able to get the elevator moving upward.  We went up, up, up to the 45th floor, and then we stopped.    But, the door wouldn’t open.  We couldn’t get it to open, and the Westin’s head of security couldn’t get it to open.  So, there we were, dangling like bait on the 45th floor in a nonfunctioning elevator cab.

My head was swimming and everyone around me started to look like Dali’s Melting Clocks.

By the way, did you know that hotel security speak for guests stuck in an elevator is “elevator entrapment”?  Neither did I, but I sure do now!

Anyway, I was completely freaking out inside and doing my best not to let it show.  Unfortunately, I don’t think I was all that successful.   My heart was pounding, my palms were sweating and my feet were having a tough time holding me up.  I kept looking over at Sean, who seemed to be doing a lot better than me.  I tried to speak, but the small, weak voice that poured out of my mouth sounded more like that of a three year-old toddler than the polished, self-composed businesswoman I pretend to be.

The others seemed to get that I was teetering on the edge of hysteria.  Maybe you really can smell fear.  Sean kept patting me on my shoulder, and Greg and Annette just kept me talking – and reminded me to breathe.

“So, where are you from?”

“What did you think of Atlanta?”

“Blogging conference, huh.  How interesting!  What was it like?”

“You’re from Sarasota, you say.  Such a lovely town!  What do you do there?”

“Okay, honey.  We’ll be fine.  Just keep breathing.”

Despite myself, and to my great surprise, I was actually able to carry on a conversation with them.  And, for a few fleeting moments I even forgot that I was a victim of “elevator entrapment”.  Honestly, I don’t know how I would have coped with the situation if Greg and Annette hadn’t been there.  They talked me off the ledge.  I am so thankful that they – and Sean – were there with me.  I shudder to think what might have happened if I had been trapped in there alone!

After a while, the disembodied voice of the security lady told us that the Atlanta fire department had been called and to hang on because help was on the way.  Hang on?!?!  Was she kidding?!?! We were on the 45th floor.  What did she think we were going to do – make a jump for it?

We waited for what seemed like centuries before we heard some signs of life outside.  There were sounds of banging and clanging and scraping metal.  Finally, the elevator doors began to part, and I could see the face of a cute young fireman.  As soon as the opening became wide enough for me to fit through, I leapt, practically right into his arms.  I couldn’t get out of there fast enough!   Sean, Annette, Greg, their daughter and the two Chinese girls followed close on my heels.  Our ordeal on the 45th floor lasted for 45 minutes.

After much hugging, email exchanging and blood pressure checking, we all went our separate ways.  It was already past the time that I had planned to be at the airport.  Seeing how shaken up I was, (and probably worrying about possible legal ramifications), the hotel manager personally escorted me to get my luggage, put me in a taxi (at his expense) and sent me on my way.  I think I saw him breathe a little sigh of relief as the car pulled away.  I know I did.

The first thing I did when I got past airport security was head to the first bar I saw and order a stiff drink.  That, and sign in on Twitter.  Ah, the healing powers of Twitter!  My Twitter stream was already aflutter with tweets about the “elevator incident” and speculation about who the unfortunate victims were.  Sean and I were both sharing the gory details and sympathetic @mentions poured forth.

Fortified by enough vodka to drown a whale, I then boarded my flight home.  In the air, I reflected on the “elevator incident”, and thought of the irony of it all.  What were the odds that, of all the things in the world that could have happened to me, the one that I feared most was what did?   They say that God never gives us more than we can handle.  If that’s true, maybe he was trying to show me that I am stronger than I thought I was.  Or maybe the karmic forces of the universe were just f*%#ing with me. I don’t know.  What I do know is that I was incredibly lucky to have had such caring and compassionate people to help me through the ordeal.

I believe that one of the best cures for a wounded Achilles’ heel is ice cream.  And, pie.  So when I finally got home from Atlanta, I made this ice cream pie.    A great big and tall, decadent, coffee, fudge, ice cream pie.  You’ve heard of mile high pies?  Well, I’m calling mine “45 Stories High Java Fudge Ice Cream Pie”, and I’m dedicating it to Sean, Greg, Annette, their daughter and even the two chirpy, clueless Chinese girls (they were kind of cute, anyway).

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.

Oh, Happy Day!  Dorie’s new cookbook has finally arrived!  I picked up my copy of Around My French Table last week and was in love before I got past the dust cover. The book is filled with over three hundred of Dorie’s favorite recipes, culled from her time spent in Paris. It’s the kind of unfussy, homey food that you’d find in any French home cook’s kitchen.   In true Dorie style, the recipes are very readable, with clear and detailed instructions accompanied by entertaining stories and suggestions for creative tweaks.  And, the photographs are perfectly droolworthy – food porn at its best!

Of course, no new Dorie Greenspan cookbook would be complete without a large group of adoring fans waiting in the wings to cook their way through it.  There probably aren’t many who haven’t heard of the wildly popular baking group Tuesdays with Dorie.  For almost three years, this dedicated group of bloggers has been baking one recipe per week, in tandem, from Dorie’s classic tome, Baking: From My Home to Yours.  And now, TWD’s fearless leader, Laurie Woodward has done it again by creating French Fridays with Dorie.  That’s right.  Each Friday, a new group of Dorie devotees will be cooking a new recipe à la française from Around My French Table.

The great part about FFwD is that the rules have been relaxed.  All you need to do in order to join is buy a copy of the book and cook along whenever you can.  Not having a participation requirement is kind of liberating, and will make it easier for more people to join in.  I’m all for that!  The group currently has over seven hundred members signed up.  Seven Hundred!!! This is gonna be very interesting!

Dorie has always been a huge supporter of TWD, and she is doing no less for FFwD.  In fact, she was kind enough to select all of the recipes for this inaugural month herself, including today’s pick, Gougères.

Think of gougères as a kind of savory cream puff without the filling.  They’re made with the same kind of pastry dough, called pâte à choux .  The difference between them is that gougères are not sweet.  They typically contain cheese and sometimes, herbs.  Gougères are meant to start a meal, while cream puffs usually finish it.

Dorie’s gougères recipe very easy and virtually foolproof.  I whipped up these cheesy little puffs of deliciousness with three other dishes cooking, a house full of teenagers and a very curious puppy underfoot.  And, they turned out perfectly!  If I can do it – you can too.

I’m really excited about being a part of FFwD, and I plan to participate as often as I can.  While, we’ve been asked not to publish the recipes, you can find them all in Around My French Table.  And, don’t forget to stop by the FFwD site to see what the rest of the group has done with Dorie’s gougères.

À bientôt!

Did you know that September is National Mushroom Month?  Neither did I until I became part of the Mushroom Masters: A Tournament of Taste, sponsored by the USA’s Mushroom Council, Mushrooms Canada and the Australian Mushroom Growers Association.  These three organizations have partnered up with Tastespotting to celebrate by hosting a four week competition featuring some of the most talented food bloggers on the web.  For each week during the month of September, three different bloggers from each country have created original recipes using that week’s featured mushroom variety. Throughout the competition you’ll be able to find the bloggers’ complete recipes on their respective country’s sites.  You’ll also be able to vote for your favorites on Tastespotting.

Mushroom Masters kicked off in week one with the Portobello Playoffs.  Next, there was the Button Battle.  This week, we have the Shiitake Showdown, with yours truly representing Team USA.  My talented and creative competitors for this soiree are Aussie, Christie from Fig and Cherry and Canada’s Elizabeth from Guilty Kitchen.  But, enough about them.  Let’s talk about me, me, ME!

When first invited to develop a recipe using Shiitake mushrooms for this showdown, I knew that I wanted to do something light and elegant.  After all, the temperatures are still hovering in the nineties around here!  I also wanted to create a recipe that highlighted the Shiitake in several different ways.  And of course, I wanted something that wasn’t too fussy or complicated, so that all of you, my dear readers, would feel comfortable making it in your own kitchens.  I think that I achieved all three of these goals with my Shiitake-Pork Dumplings in Shiitake Mushroom Broth.

My Shiitake mushroom broth is a light, yet deeply flavorful broth made using dried and fresh shiitakes, as well as the soaking liquid derived from reconstituting the dried mushrooms. Both fresh and dried shiitakes are sliced and served in the broth.  I’ve also added hints of garlic, ginger and lemongrass for a distinctly Asian flair.

The dumplings are lovely, ethereal little pillows filled with minced fresh and dried shiitakes, ground pork, garlic, ginger and scallions.  My secret weapon here is the addition of some silken tofu to the filling.  It adds an almost creamy quality and makes the dumplings as light as air.  Steaming them and serving them in the shiitake broth allowed me to maximize the shiitake mushroom quotient in the dish.

If you’d like the recipe for my Shiitake-Pork Dumplings in Shiitake Mushroom Broth, you can find it over on the Mushroom Council’s site.

Okay, I’m going to be absolutely shameless here.  TEAM USA AND I NEED YOUR VOTE! So, click on over to the Shiitake Showdown page on Tastespotting and if you like what you see, please, please, please vote for my Shiitake-Pork Dumplings in Shiitake Mushroom Broth and send Team USA to victory today. If you do, I’ll love you forever!

FTC Disclosure

Here’s where I tell you that I have received monetary compensation from the Mushroom Council for my work developing this recipe and my photos. To my knowledge, I have not received any compensation from Tastespotting.

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.

I can’t imagine that there is anyone left in this world that hasn’t heard of the devastating recent events in Haiti.  On January 12, the small Caribbean county was hit by a catastrophic 7.0 earthquake.  By January 24, at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater had been recorded. As of February 12, an estimated three million people were affected by the quake.  The Haitian Government reports that between 217,000 and 230,000 people have been identified as dead, an estimated 300,000 injured, and an estimated 1,000,000 are homeless.  It is also estimated that 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings have collapsed or been severely damaged. As you can imagine, the current living conditions in Haiti are deplorable!   In the aftermath, many countries have responded to appeals for humanitarian aid, pledging funds and dispatching rescue and medical teams, engineers and support personnel.  In addition, numerous church groups, charitable organizations and private citizens have stepped in to help as well, including the food blogging community.  Determined not to stand idly by, BloggerAid-Changing the Face of Famine has decided to run an online raffle to raise funds for the relief effort in Haiti.  This relief effort is called H2Ope for Haiti.

H20pe for Haiti was devised as a way for BA-CFF to raise funds to supply much needed water to Haiti through Concern Worldwide. This non-governmental international humanitarian organization founded in 1968 works around the world to reduce suffering and work towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries. Concern Worldwide has been a presence in Haiti since 1994 and had over 100 staff members on the ground when the earthquake struck.  Despite losing several team members in the tragedy, they have been quick to act with distribution of supplies, including 135,000 liters of water per day.

To implement this fundraiser, BA-CFF is running an online raffle, with prizes donated by participating food bloggers (like me).  The money raised will be paid directly into a Justgiving page.  Justgiving is the United Kingdom parent of Firstgiving, the site used in the Menu for Hope events.  Every dollar raised gets paid directly into the charity’s account, to be applied exclusively to the Haiti relief effort as agreed by Concern Worldwide.  Justgiving makes it really easy to donate in that that they accept credit cards, debit cards and Paypal as payment methods.

My raffle item for this fundraiser is a copy of David Chang’s bestselling cookbook, Momofuku (PRIZE CODE: HFH12).  It’s no secret that I have fallen in love with this book.  I’ve written about it here and here.  And now, for the price of a $10.00 raffle ticket, you can have the chance to win one for yourself.  H20pe for Haiti’s list of fabulous raffle prizes and instructions for donating can be found on Jeanne’s site at Cook Sister, and at BA-CFF’s Justgiving page, found at http://www.justgiving.com/h2ope4haiti. I hope you’ll consider participating.

Now, as an added incentive to donate, and because I love you guys, I have another Momofuku dish to share with you.  This one is really going to knock your ever lovin’ socks off because it features pork!  And, not just any old pork either. Nosiree!  I’m talking about a big old hunk of pork butt cooked low and slow for hours and hours, until it’s gorgeously caramelized and falling off the bone tender. I’m talking about the pork in David Chang’s Bo Ssäm!

Bo Ssäm is a popular dish in Korean cuisine in which steamed pork and various accompaniments are wrapped in leafy greens such as lettuce or sesame leaf. The word ssäm literally means “wrapped”.  It is often served with a thick, spicy paste known as ssämjang and several small side dishes or banchan such as kimchi.

In Chang’s version, the pork is coated with a sugar and salt dry rub and roasted low and slow, barbecue-style, for many hours, until it can just be pulled from the bone with a fork.  The rest of his bo ssäm “package” includes his version of ssämjang, raw oysters, Ginger-Scallion Sauce, rice and kimchi. I wasn’t originally convinced about the oysters, but then I read several accounts of how magical they are with the pulled pork. Still, I wasn’t about to deal with shucking fresh oysters in my kitchen. I’m the Accident Prawn, remember?  Oyster shuckers and me are a dangerous combination!

Luckily, I live in Florida, and the one thing I can always find here are freshly shucked oysters, neatly stored in plastic containers.  I figured that was the best way to go.

I didn’t make my own kimchi either. {{{hanging my head in shame}}}.  Instead, I bought some at a local Asian market.  The owner is Korean and she makes several kinds of kimchi fresh from scratch every day.  It is really good, too!  I knew that any kimchi I could whip up wouldn’t be nearly as good as hers, so I took that shortcut too.  The thing is, that by taking little shortcuts like this, a time and labor intensive meal like bo ssäm doesn’t seem so daunting.  Thus, you might be more likely to actually try it at home.  And, while it is always admirable to make each component of every dish yourself, it isn’t always necessary.  I’m not talking Semi-Homemade here.  I’m just saying that outsourcing a few things sometimes isn’t the end of the world.

As far as recipes go, Chang’s pulled pork isn’t difficult at all to prepare.  The hardest part is waiting for the pig to cook.  But, this also gives you lots of time to prepare the side dishes and sauces.  It also gives you lots of time to do the laundry, water your plants, pay some bills or take a little nap. (I skipped right on over to that last one!)  And, I have to tell you, people, that this pork is so very juicy and succulent – utterly amazing!  A total foodgasm if there ever was one!

Presenting, the naked pork:

Here’s what it looked like wearing its salt and sugar rub:

Here it is at the halfway mark:

And, here it is out of the oven and all ready to jump on your plate:

Oh, baby!

And, as if it could possibly get any better, get this.   This whole meal, which feeds at least eight people, cost me about $36.45 to make – including the oysters and the store-bought kimchi!  Can you believe it?  That gorgeous ten pound pork shoulder only set me back $16.50!  Momofuku Ssäm Bar charges $180.00 for this “dining experience”, which rounds out to about $22.50 per person for eight people, not including tax and tip.  I was able to do it for $4.55 per person.  Sure, the ambiance in my dining room probably isn’t as cool as Momofuku’s, but who cares!  The point is that you can create this fabulous feast in your own home for a fraction of what it costs to go out.  My cost was about 20% of what I would have paid at ANY restaurant, which leaves a nice chunk of change left over for Mama to get herself a new pair of shoes!

Trust me, people!  You need this book! Seriously! You do!

Enjoy!