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Showing posts with label foodbuzz. Show all posts
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! I hope you all had wonderful days filled with family/friends and good food! I know I am so very thankful to have a loving family, a job, a warm place to sleep, and so many good things to eat. I think it's easy to take simple pleasures like cooking and eating for granted. It was this inspiration that lead me to this month's 24 24 24 proposal. I proposed a giving of a celebration to families in need. With the help of Dimitri House who paired John and I with the families, we were able to "adopt" two families for Thanksgiving this year. Both families are headed by strong women raising their kids alone, one family with 7 children ranging in ages from 1 to 16 (2 sets of twins!!). The mission is simple: provide the families with everything they need in order to celebrate Thanksgiving without any burden or worry.

Celebrating Thanksgiving with food is not a given for many families, there just isn't room in an already tight budget to splurge on such things. On a day that is filled with so much glutton and excess, it is so wonderful to be able to give something back so that they may celebrate and give thanks for all of the good things they do have.


With $250 from Foodbuzz we were able to give these families enough for Turkey day along with more food to use up later!! Actually, even with a full trunk and back seat filled with groceries we still didn't hit the $250 mark... what to do?? Wegmans giftcards!! This way the families could get whatever else we didn't pick up that they were craving. Hopefully they picked up something extra special :)


As for what we did pick up... we gave each family a call first to see if they would rather have turkey or ham for Thanksgiving... both were ladies after my own heart and picked ham!! MMMMM ham!!! John and I headed to Wegmans for a late night attack on the ailes! We filled two large carts to the brim with huge hams, stuffing, 10 lb bags of potatoes, yams, onions, all types of veggies, fruit, salad fixings, bread, milk, eggs, pumpkin and apple pies, cheese, crackers, PB and jelly, pasta, sauce, cereal... and so much more!

I was heading to NJ this past Sunday so John was left to deliver all of the food on his own. He was a trooper though and after a dozen or so trips back and forth to the car had all of the bags in the homes of the two families. Both families were overwhelmed with the amount of food we had for them, and totally floored with the giftcards.

Thank you Foodbuzz for making these events possible! Although John and I didn't take part in the actual Thanksgiving day event with these families, I think it was the best and most rewarding 24 24 24 participation I've had so far!


What would you say is the thing you are most thankful for?
I had to take a break from the Foodbuzz write up yesterday... I mean it was over a week without a recipe... that's unheard of!!! We are finally wrapping the weekend up (can you tell it was packed full??) The final dinner was hosted by Outstanding in the field and it was delicious. There were over 300 of us all sitting at one VERY long table. I had a total rock star moment meeting Mike of Food Muse... I introduced myself and he got all excited that he was meeting me!? Seriously?? little old me?? rock on!! He had taken part in my jam exchange and we had a great time chatting it up!


I didn't have my mini tripod (how did I leave that at home?) so most of my pics are a bit shaky... sorry about that.

Mushroom dashi, maitake, shimeji, enoki muchrooms (there was a whole bowl of soup but I took a pic of just my spoon)


Udon, grilled monterey calamari in a browned butter ponzu reduction, cucumber, kaiware, frisee & yellow pear tomato with chojang & sesame vinaigrette (MY FAVORITE THING OF THE NIGHT!)

Salmon baked with sashikombu, fried garlic and Japanese curry powder

Soy braised beef cheeks and oxtails, baby carrots and fingerling potato (if you look to the right of the picture you can see the other end of the table wrapping its way around the room)

Roasted brussels sprouts, ponzu fried garlic, guanciale, bonito flakes recipe here!

We had a fabulous meal and I was lucky enough to find my buddy Shoshana of The Making of a Natural Chef and sit next to her for the meal. We met for the first time on saturday and were like two peas in a pod, totally hitting it off! Don't you love when that happens? She's a fantastic girl and I know I'll be keeping in touch with her for years to come :) She's like me with a corporate job, using cooking and blogging as a fun escape... the difference is she actually went to school and became a chef!! Whereas I just fly by the seat of my home-cook pants ;)


One last pic from brunch Sunday morning, french toast using Natures Pride new Oaty bread... and thick cut bacon.... can we say heaven??



Driscoll's Blackberry Walnut Quick Bread to come tomorrow... I made it last night... AMAZING!!! and so far the coworkers are LOVING it!
I know the title probably made you go... wawah??? Don't worry it will make sense... and no I'm not calling myself a cow. The day started with a nice run down to fisherman's warf and back. I stopped at the hotel front desk and asked for a running map. The guys must have thought I looked more hardcore than I really am since he immediately started telling me about this great 14 mile run down to the golden gate bridge and back... excuse me?? 14 miles... HA ummm yeah... got any around the 4 mile mark?? I had called down to ask the outside temp... I think they were a bit off... since a half mile into my run my long sleeve shirt was tied around my waste and I was only wearing shorts and a sports bra... yeah if you were one of the people wearing a winter coat as this "cold weather proof" Rochestarian jogged by half naked... yeah sorry about that! I got more than a few "what's wrong with that girl looks..."

Having coffee with Chrystal and Amir from the Duo Dishes

A quick shower and a power bar later I was off for coffee and "snacks" I think I ate a pound of grapes... most of the breakfast treats were already demolished... good thing I ate that power bar! After the caffeine fix they let us loose on the farmers market. So many cool things to look at, and of course I had to pick up a pair of cute earrings from a local vendor!

I got to meet Lisa from the Snack Snoop too!

Next is the cow part... my veggies and vegan, you are excused now... because I'm guessing you aren't going to want to hear about the sustainability farm to table talk I went to... it's ok, you can come back to see more tasty chow from the tasting pavillion, my demo!! and the outstanding in the field dinner! :D

OK for those of you who are left :) I went to a really interesting talk about raising cattle in an outdoor grass fed way. It was really eye opening I have to say. The talk was by the head chef of Americano (Paul Arenstam) and Brian from Hearst Ranch.

Paul looking chef chic & Brian looking very cowboy chic

Some interesting facts I learned
  • It costs 3 times as much to raise a grass fed cow than a grain fed cow
  • Grass fed cows have a smaller carbon footprint... grass grows on its own, whereas fossil fuel is needed to process the grain and then ship it.
  • It takes a grain fed cow 13 months to get to be 1300 lbs. WOW. (was anyone else feeling like they were growing this fast this weekend with all the chow?)
  • It takes a grass fed cow 18-24 months to reach a max around 1100.
Hearst treats their cows so they aren't in a constant state of fear... They wean the baby cows by moving them to another field, so they can still come up to the fence and see mom, but are slowly separated. This is not the case in most grain based ranches. Brain also explained that less stress = more tender meat... seriously I had a meatball made with their meat... tenderest thing I've ever had. AMAZING It makes sense when you think about it, when i'm stressed all my muscles are crazy tense and hard... yeah... so don't try to eat me... i'm stressed :D


He also explained things in a way that the cows are familiar with humans being around and part of their life, so when it's time to meet their maker... they aren't scared out of their minds (true or not... up to you).

Hearst is also starting a new CSA style take on meat. It's a really interesting concept. You basically buy a cow... or 1/2 a cow... or an 1/8 of a cow (40 lbs) and you pay one price per pound and they send you all different cuts of meat. No paying one price for tenderloin and another for ground meat. It's all vacuum sealed so you can easily freeze it. This sounds like a great idea if you have a few friends or family who like red meat. It helps the ranches and it gives you a better price overall for everything. Interested in ordering some delicious beef? Good news...

Brain wanted to thank foodbuzz and said to spread the word... so order now and put "Foodbuzz" in the coupon code box to get 30% off and free shipping!!

Learn more about the cattle shares here. Or buy your 1/8th of a cow here. I really wish John ate red meat... since 40 lbs for one person is going to be a bit much... LOL I need to ask around to see if anyone wants to go in on an 1/8 of a cow with me... anyone in Rochester interested??

OK up next is the tasting pavilion and my natures pride baking debut!! Then it's on to Outstanding in the Field dinner!!! YUMMMM Stay tuned!
OK back for the next installment! Jeanne made sure to get me to my hotel in time for the cocktail party Friday night. It was on the outdoor terraces on the 7th and 8th floors of Hotel Vital (ok I seriously love this hotel... such a fun modern feel to it... more on that later). Anyway drinks were flowing thanks to Skyy Spirits and there were all types of munchies to get our appetite revving. The best part, hearing someone call out my name since they recognized me from the pics on my blog! So cool!

I met a ton of new people and some "old friends" too. Isn't it great to have faces to go along with the blogs you read every day!? love it!

Hal from This Man's kitchen, Total brain fail... she's from Philly.. .and I can't remember her name but she came with Vik from Vik eats, Chrystal from the Duo Dishes, and gah another brain fail!


Natalie from Natalies Killer Cuisine, Allie of Fat kid who loves food, and yours truly. Don't you love long arm self portraits :D


The terraces got seriously packed so it was great to hear the tasting was starting across the street. Onto the chow!! It was like food overload, beer, wine, sandwiches, dessert... everywhere!! Here are some highlights.

First off my favorite thing of the night... a vegan RAW "cheesecake" this was my number 1 favorite thing all night... it was the best cheesecake I've ever eaten.... and yet there was no cheese LOL. If you live in the area PLEASE go get some at ALIVE. The chef who made it was there and he was amazing to chat with. It was a serious pleasure to meet him and the girl who was working the table. Too cool. This "cheesecake" is 100% vegan and raw... amazing... the crust... carrots... I didn't even realize until I heard someone else say it... no freakin way.


Now to the total opposite end of the spectrum... Second favorite thing... the "i love pork skin sandwich" I know it sounds gross... and the potatoes are cooked in the fat drippings... so not healthy in ANY way... but oh how good it was!


Another favorite... coffee ice cream from Straus Organic. Yeah... I went back for seconds... and yes I admitted it to the lady scooping it out :D


Oh a cupcake? Don't mind if I do!


And there were a good 10-15 other places there that night too... Can anyone say food coma?? and full disclosure... I didn't take a ton of pics at this event... I was too busy shoveling food into my mouth LOL see "Exhibit A" below... Natalie took it :D

WOW, what an amazing weekend! It was so great to meet you all in person! AND to meet a bunch of new faces and blogs! My google reader just doubled in pages I think :D There is so much to talk about from this weekend... there is no way I can fit it in one post... well I could... but who would stick around to read it all? I'm a chronological person, so I'm going to start at the beginning.

I flew in and was picked up by my awesome buddy Jeanne who I met through a cookie exchange last year. Jeanne and I had been plotting our first meet up for months now and it was so exciting to finally meet. I didn't get to take a picture of the awesome sign she made so I could find her at the airport, but I DID take a picture of the amazing bag she made me!!


Jeanne is so freaking talented I swear. She made up this pattern and put my blog name into the knitting??? seriously??? And it gets even better, she had baked pear muffins that morning for our hike and picked me up a bunch of goodies to bring home with me! Gingerbread cake mix from trader joes- CAN'T WAIT TO TRY IT! Some pumpkin butter - YUM. A bag of pumpkin granola that was the inspiration for her granola (go try it if you haven't yet, the bagged stuff was delicious, but her recipe blows it away!). She also brought me some dried mango pieces (how did she know I have a love affair with mangos??? so tasty!)

We went and had some fun adventures in the rain. I've never seen a redwood so she drove me over to Muir Woods to see them up close! BEAUTIFUL


now that is a BIG tree

they tried to stop us.. rain... closed trails... but we wouldn't listen!! onward!!

Doesn't it look like we are on another planet?


We made a pit stop at a look out by the Golden Gate Bridge... darn you fog...


No worries we hung out and chatted up a storm! I seriously can't wait for our next adventure together :)


OK tomorrow it's on to cocktails and street meats!
I have this set to post at the exact time my flight should be taking off... aka the butt crack of dawn!

Early flights are great since they are less likely to have delays... AND that way you still have part of a day to spend vacationing! If you didn't already know I'm happily flying to San Fransisco today for the Foodbuzz festival, compliments of Natures Pride Bread (I'm a bread ambassador! giddy-up!) I can NOT wait to get there. My awesome friend who I met through a cookie exchange is picking me up at the airport LOL yes, yes that's how I roll :) We'll be off to see some redwoods and play. Then it's to the hotel to get ready for all the festivities!! Can't wait to tell you all about it once I get back!

If you will be at the festival come by the Natures Pride booth Saturday between 2:20 and 3:15 and I'll give you a sample of this to try :)

So remember when I made these amazingly delicious peanut butter chocolate chip rum infused bread pudding muffins??


THEY WON!!!! That's right!! I'm going to be a Nature's Pride Bread Ambassador at the Foodbuzz festival!! GAHHH!!!! How freaking exciting is that! AND my recipe will be made and handed out at the tasting pavilion... along with cards featuring the recipe! Woohooo!!!

On a side note, there was also a competition through Bertolli and my buddies at the Duo Dishes won!!! Check it out and vote for their dish to be made here.
Have I mentioned how much I love Foodbuzz and their monthly 24 24 24 event... L O V E it!!! The wonderful people there along with Visa Signature card have let me do it again and host a Gelato 24 ways tasting!! (actually it was gelato 20 ways... they only had 20 flavors that night whoops!) Either way we were all going to get together at Mona Lisa Cafe to get our gelato on!

See the guys hanging out in front... they totally harassed me about taking their picture LOL (they were joking)! So that guy to the left owns It's a Guy Thing across the street, so here's your shout out! You better leave me a comment so I know you saw this!! :D

Mona Lisa Cafe is out in Webster NY (basically a suburb to the east of Rochester). My one friend asked me "how the he!! did you ever find this place?" It's true, it's not the most convenient place for me to travel to... but OH MAN IS IT WORTH IT!!!!

I first learned of Mona Lisa Cafe soon after it opened (May 2008) and it was the gelato that drew me there! You see, growing up in norther NJ, we had a lot of gelato around... then I moved up here and *POOF* no more gelato... it's a very sad story if you ask me! So when I heard a little cafe offering TWENTY-FOUR kinds of gelato had opened, I knew I had to go! (and PS to all those Rochester folk saying "what are you talking about there is a gelato place on park ave" yeahhh... I don't know about you.. but I tried it... and it didn't taste like gealto to me... more like normal ice cream... no thanks!)

Angie was our hostess with the mostest while we were there!!! She ROCKED!!!! She's one of the owners and was over the top wonderful to us! She set us up for the tasting and told us all about the favorite flavors of customers and how they come up with some of the crazy flavors... like this one:


Cotton Candy- seriously... it tasted just like the stuff, in gelato form... no weird chemically taste either, just instant memories of being a little kid with a face covered in sticky cotton candy glue.

Another reason I love gelato... it's only made with 4% milk fat... ice cream is made with anywhere from 20-30% milk fat. AKA gelato is a less fattening option (HELL YEAH!!!) Here are some other interesting gelato facts (click the image to make it larger).


The owners of Mona Lisa Cafe bought their gelato machine straight from Italy and a cute little Italian man taught them all the secrets, along with his recipes! He still shows up when he has new recipe ideas (popcorn was the last one before cotton candy!!). Believe it or not, Angie said it was a hit!!!

As for the flavor that was our number 1 that night for my crew: (drum roll please)


Amaretto!!!! My mom was so jealous that they had it and she wasn't there to have some. The place by us in NJ never carries Amaretto anymore for some reason... boo to them and WOOHOO to Mona Lisa Cafe!!

The second runner up was peanut butter! Man it was SO GOOD!!!!

An important note about eating gelato if you are under the age of 3... always use two spoons and wear a bib :)


Wondering what the other flavors were?? (Scroll over the image to see the flavor)



OH and if you are still hungry after eating to your eyeballs in gelato... they have a full menu of panini's, salads, and a HUGE selection of Italian cookies and cakes :) They will also happily accommodate larger groups. Just give them a call and they will get you all set up!

Is anyone else feeling like they just gained 5 lbs?? So tell me, which flavor do you think you'd like the best??
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