BlogHer Food '09: Part One

I have to admit, I felt a little bit like an adulterer attending BlogHer Food '09. I mean, ya know, I'm a FoodBuzzer and BlogHer might well be seen as a competing entity. So, yes, I cheated last weekend ... big time ... and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

BlogHer Food '09 was such an overwhelmingly positive experience for me, that I've had trouble trying to synthesize it all these last two days. Honestly, I can't say enough good things about it. How often do you have the opportunity to meet hundreds of other people with whom you have so much in common? How often do you have the opportunity to set aside an entire day and devote it to your life's great passion ... while learning and making invaluable connections along the way?

The morning began with a networking breakfast in the ballroom at the St. Regis. Happily, this kind of event is right up my alley. I'm the kind of person who actually enjoys walking into a room of 300 people I don't know and introducing myself to them. And so I did. I happened upon a table of festive looking women and asked to join them for the meal. We quickly began the introductions and soon the fun began!

Last week, doggybloggy of Chez What?, left me a comment suggesting I should look out for Laura of Hey what's for dinner Mom? ... and wouldn't you just know I was at her table! Without even looking for her, I found her ... and I'm so glad I did. She introduced me to Janet of Pretty Green Girl, and Heather of Heather in SF. We became fast friends indeed! So much so that we spent the majority of the after-parties hanging out and having a blast. (I miss you guys already!) I also greatly enjoyed my morning conversations with Tiffany of The Cookie Blog and Kelsey of The Naptime Chef and my lunch-time laughs with Shirley of Gluten Free Easily and Diane of The W.H.O.L.E. Gang.

After breakfast, we headed to our first panel discussions of the day. I chose to attend the Visual Track: "Developing Your Visual Voice", presented by Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks and Matt Armendariz of Matt Bites. Together, these two amazing photographers lead us through the "seven things to think about before even picking up a camera", while showing examples of some of the best food photography on the net - both their work and that of others. For me, this session was invaluable. I have no illusions about becoming the kind of photographers they are ... but heaven knows I can improve. The information I took away from this session will no doubt serve me well ... though it would help if I lived in something other than a bat cave. Le sigh.

For the second session, I chose the Vocation Track: "Your Blog is Great ... now what? Letting your blog lead the way to new opportunity", a panel discussion presented by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen and Helen Dujardin of Tartlette, moderated by Amy Sherman of Cooking With Amy. Here again, I have nothing but praise. The discussion was lively and fun, due in no small part to the sparkling personalities of these three women, and the information offered was of tremendous use. My major take-away from this session was, as Jaden said, to "go to everything". In other words, miss no opportunity to connect and network, because you never know who you might meet. I don't know about you, but I have an email box full of invitations about which I was sitting on the fence ... well, no more. From now on this Diva *is* going to everything.

The other really nice part of session two was that I had a chance to sit next to ... on the floor! ... one of my all-time favorite bloggers, Cheryl Sternman Rule of 5 second rule. Meeting Cheryl, after following her blog for the better part of a year, was a real treat. She's someone I've long admired and finally putting a real-live face to the name was great fun, indeed. I can't say the same about having to sit on the floor. My one real criticism here is that the rooms were in no way large enough to handle the crowds. I realize the limitations of space, but sitting on the floor, or standing in the back, is decidedly less than optimal.

Which leads me to session three ... wherein I found myself crushed up against the uber blogger, David Lebovitz, at the back of the room ... with dozens of others who could not get in the door. By this point, the entire conference was running behind schedule, and though I'd left session two early, hoping to get a seat, I found session three already underway and overcrowded. I was not amused. For session three, I chose the Values Track: "The Meaning of Identity and the Value of Voice in a Crowded Foodblogging World"; a panel discussion presented by Ree Drummond of The Pioneer Woman, Garrett McCord of Vanilla Garlic, Dianne Jacob of Will Write for Food, and Susan Russo of Food Blogga. I'm sure it, too, was invaluable ... though I wouldn't know. I was already aching from my time on the floor, and exhausted from the day in general, suffice it to say I skipped out right behind David Lebovitz after about 10 minutes. Feh.

I figured I could put my time to better use in stopping by the hotel's business lounge to print out my boarding pass for the return home; and so I did. I also popped up to my room for a quick make-up check and brief lie down. A Diva's got to do what a Diva's got to do! Useful as that was, I'm sincerely sorry I missed the third panel. Though the room was huge, clearly it wasn't big enough ... and that's a shame. Perhaps a bigger facility is needed, should there be a BlogHer Food '10? One can hope.

Naturally, there were breaks, and demos, and food offered between the sessions ... though little of that inspired me enough to want to write about it. The one exception being the phenomenal chocolate demo offered by Chef Elizabeth Faulkner. I will write about that ... tomorrow. Here's a little clue: it has something to do with that mysterious photo above. Stay tuned!

Much has been said, and written, and tweeted about the epic lunch fail at the conference. On that front, I have nothing new to add. If you're interested, I'd suggest this article by Natanya Anderson. It offers, to my mind, the most balanced and useful critique of the experience. In truth, I didn't go to BlogHer Food to eat. I went there to listen, to learn, to network and to socialize; those were my goals. I achieved them in spades. In the last few days, many of you have asked me if the experience was worth it? My answer is a resounding: YES!

Home

Is there anything better than the caress of one's own deliciously comfortable mattress after a long day of travel? I think not. I certainly enjoyed the hell out of that caress last night ... and, truth to tell, am still attired in a fashion that attests to such delights. ~wink~

The Diva has returned from a whirlwind weekend of bloggy goodness in San Francisco and it was spectacular. So much so that its going to take days for me to synthesize it all and come up with anything useful by way of re-capping the wonder that was BlogHer Food '09.

Simply put, the conference was an amazing experience. I met dozens of wonderful people, many of whom seem destined to become friends for life, and others of whom I've admired for so long it was almost like meeting a rock star. The panels were educational and informative; the networking, supreme; the chocolate, plentiful ... and, oh, there was wine ... and scotch ... and margaritas. Oh, my!

As for the food, well, let us speak of other things. Suffice it to say I'm craving something, anything, that isn't a white carb. With all due respect to my veggie friends - dinner tonight will involve meat and plenty of it! I'm thinking pot roast. Its time for this Diva to return to the kitchen and get cooking. Stay tuned.

I will recap the event later in the week and look forward to shouting out my new blog friends. I miss you already!

Cheers!

Holding Pattern

I'm having one of those weeks where I've been out of the house every night and the cooking, Chez Diva, has been a slap-dash affair. Sure, I've cooked and we've eaten; but mostly its been things like soup and quiche, about which I've already posted.

In addition, I'm preparing for a trip to San Francisco, to attend the BlogHer Food '09 Conference ... my first official food blogging conference. I'm so excited! There's laundry and packing to be done ... in addition to my typical "I hate to fly", pre-trip freak-outs. Ole.

Suffice it to say that we're in a holding pattern here and I expect to be back in action and back in the kitchen on Monday ... jet-lag notwithstanding. Hang tight and stay tuned.

If you're attending BlogHer Food this weekend, drop me a line in the comments so I'll know to lookout for you.

Have a beautiful weekend, dear readers, and I'll see you on Monday!

Chocolate Guinness Torte

Lest any of you are operating under the mistaken impression that things always go as planned, Chez Diva, let this post serve as proof that's not the case.

The husband had a birthday last week and I took a notion to bake him a cake ... from scratch. Months ago, I fell in love with the Chocolate Beer Cake posted on The Backseat Gourmet. Originally, I'd planned to make it for St. Patrick's Day, but that never happened. Knowing the husband's deep personal commitment to Guinness, I figured this was the cake for him.

I followed Cheryl A.'s recipe exactly as posted with two exceptions. I used Guinness instead of ale - no problem there. Chocolate and Guinness is a stunning combination. I also used 9 inch cake pans, instead of the 8 inch indicated in the recipe ... hello, problem! Yes, the size of the pan matters. And, yes, I know that. I used the larger pans anyway, because it was too late in the day to go out and buy another set. The cake? Was so flat you could slide it under a door. Ole.

Here's the thing, though, its all about the spin. It looked and smelled delicious - and Cheryl's frosting is truly divine. I frosted that bad boy up and called it a torte. The presentation went a little something like this:

Diva: Look, I've made you a torte for your birthday! A chocolate Guinness torte!

The Husband: Yay! Sounds delicious! Sort of looks like a flat cake.

Diva: Perhaps, but its a torte.

The Husband: Hmm, what's the difference?

Diva: About two inches.

Fortunately, the BIG flavors here more than made up for the diminutive stature. The flavor of stout is not really present at all, though there is a subtle, underlying malty-ness that serves to intensify the chocolate flavor. The addition of Guinness makes a chocolate cake taste even more chocolaty. Its delicious! And that frosting is so incredibly good I know I'll be making it again and again. Its the chocolate frosting I'm going to make for the rest of my life. Really.

While I certainly wouldn't put this one in the category of "failure", its far too scrumptious for that, I'd call it a minor screw-up. I mean, take a look a that picture ... the cake doesn't even come halfway up the coffee cup!?! Lesson learned: I need some 8 inch pans.

So, have you learned any baking lessons recently? Do tell, curious Diva wants to know.

Bon appetite!

Thirsty Thursdays: POM-Tea-Ni Edition

When the good folks at POM Wonderful reached out to me a few weeks ago and offered to send along some samples of their yummy POMx Antioxident Super Teas, I hope they knew that at least one of them was going to be turned into a cocktail. Let's face it, any beverage around here is liable to find its way into the martini shaker. Right? Right.

What I didn't know when they offered to send me the POMx teas was how utterly delicious they would be. How delicious you ask? So delicious that we actually drank all four bottles before I even had a chance to photograph them! Really. They're just that good ... good enough that I went out and bought another round so I could show them to you here:

My little POMx care package contained one bottle each of the Pomegranate Hibiscus Light Green Tea, Pomegranate Wildberry Light White Tea, Pomegranate Blackberry Tea and Pomegranate Peach Passion White Tea ... each more delicious than the next! The husband made short work of the Peach tea, downing it in a matter of seconds. After sampling the Wildberry Light Tea (35 calories for the light varieties), I pronounced it scrumptious and asked him to mix me a drink. And so he did ...

The Wildberry POM-Tea-Ni:

• 2 shots of good quality gin
• 1 1/2 shot of POMx Wildberry Light White Tea
• 1/3 shot of white vermouth
  
• 3 drops orange bitters
• lemon peel
  

Fill a martin shaker with ice and over it pour the gin, POMx Wildberry Tea, white vermouth and orange bitters. Shake well until the outside of the shaker frosts. Twist the lemon peel over a chilled martini glass and run the inside of the peel along the rim of the glass. Strain the POM-Tea-Ni into the prepared martini glass at once. Serve and enjoy, repeat as necessary!

Certainly, any one of the POMx teas would work well in this drink and you may also choose to substitute some vodka for the gin in this recipe. I wouldn't ... but, hey, the world's your oyster! Do as you see fit.

Even without the booze, the POMx is magically delicious. I don't much care for fruit drinks, or soft drinks, but I do love this tea. It has become a regular feature in our fridge. Personally, I prefer the Light varities, not so much for the reduced calories, although that's a bonus, its mostly because I don't enjoy sweet drinks. The Light teas manage to be just sweet enough without crossing the line for me; and the flavors are both interesting and addictive.

Thanks, POMx! You've made me a fan for sure.

Cheers!

Spicy Chicken and Roast Potato Hash

This savory and delicious hash is the final stop for our roast chicken this week. Its not substantially different from the turkey/sweet potato hash about which I wrote last year ... but its good enough to warrant a second look. So good, in fact, that we nearly finished it all last night.

As usual, the amounts and ingredients are flexible here. You can make hash with any number of vegetables so, really, the choice is up to you. We're mainly talking about a technique here, so feel free to vary the protein as well; substituting cooked turkey, beef or even some leftover roast pork if you like.

Spicy Chicken and Roast Potato Hash:

• 2 or 3 cups herb roasted potatoes, chopped
• 2 or 3 cups of cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
  
• 1 small red onion, peeled and diced
  
• 1/2 of a large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium to large poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
• pinch of Kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
  
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. Chipotle chile powder, to taste
  
• 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
• a grating of fresh nutmeg
• 1 tsp. butter
  
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of non-fat, low sodium chicken broth

• 4 large eggs, fried or poached, for topping the hash
• some Green Tobasco Sauce

Chop the roasted potatoes into small chunks and shred or chop the leftover chicken. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions, red peppers and poblano peppers to the skillet, along with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper, and saute until the vegetables begin to soften, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the thyme leaves from the stems and add to the pan, stirring to combine. Add the Chipotle powder, the poultry seasoning and some freshly grated nutmeg to the pan and stir to combine.

Add the potatoes, the chicken, 1 tsp. of butter and 1/4 of chicken broth to the pan, stirring well to combine. Cook the hash over medium-high heat until it begins to brown - about 5 to 6 minutes. Using a flat spatula, flip the hash over and press down, as needed, to facilitate the browning process, adding in a bit more chicken broth as needed if it begins to dry out. Continue browning and flipping the hash until well-browned and hot throughout. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more of anything you wish. When the has is well-browned, turn the pan to low and keep warm while you poach or fry the eggs.

To serve: plate the hash and top each portion with a poached or fried egg, then drizzle with a bit of Green Tobasco. Serve and enjoy!

Round out the meal with a nice big salad and you can have a quick, healthy, and economical meal on the table in no time flat. A more satisfying meal I cannot imagine ... cooking once and eating twice is the way to go!

Bon appetite!

Herb Roasted Potatoes

How about some spuds to go along with our roast chicken? These crisp-tender morsels feature a similar combination of herbs that will pair well with the bird. The bonus? You can roast them right along with chicken, on a lower rack in the oven.

Amounts here are approximate and flexible. Just be sure to make enough so that you'll have some leftover for tomorrow's chicken hash, two cups or so should do it.

Herb Roasted Potatoes:

• 6 small to medium red skinned potatoes
• 2 large sweet potatoes
  
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small poblano pepper, seeded and cut into chunks, optional
  
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Wash the red potatoes well and cut into 1 inch chunks. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1 inch chunks as well. Place the cut potatoes and poblano peppers into a large bowl and drizzle with a bit of olive oil to coat. Sprinkle on some Kosher salt, some ground black pepper and toss to combine. Add the rosemary and thyme and toss again to coat.

Spread the potatoes in onto a large, rimmed, cookie sheet in a single layer - leaving some space between them. Roast in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about an hour or until well-browned, crisp on the outside, and tender inside - turning the potatoes every now and then with a metal spatula and redistributing to ensure even cooking.

Serve immediately with the roast chicken and enjoy!

The inclusion of they poblano pepper, while not strictly necessary, is a nice option. I happen to like them so much I want to eat them with everything ... and this year my bro grew some in his garden. I took a few back to the city with me when I was in CT last week - so they're popping up in all my dishes this week.

Tomorrow - the piece de la resistance, the raison d’être for roasting that chicken in the first place ... a savory-spicy chicken hash. Y'all come back now, hear?!

Bon appetite!