The fall season is upon us. Just in time for Thanksgiving, we have a great Olive Garden recipe that combines cheesecake with pumpkin pie and then takes it to the next level.

Crust:
8 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup ginger snap cookies
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cheesecake Filling:
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese
2/3 cups light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Sour Cream Layer:
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Whipped Cream:
2 pints heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Additional toppings:
Caramel sauce
crumbled gingersnap cookies

Prepare The Crust:

In a medium bowl combine all crust ingredients. Press crust into an 8-inch springform pan. Press the crust about halfway up the side of the springform pan. Refrigerate crust until needed.

Prepare The Filling:

Make sure all of the filling ingredients are at room temperature before mixing. Wrap the pure pumpkin puree with a couple of large paper towels. Leave wrapped for about an hour to remove the excess water in the pumpkin puree. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth, add eggs one at a time, and then combine all remaining ingredients for the filling in a mixer. Mix until very smooth. Remove crust from refrigerator, and pour in filling.

Bake cheesecake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, and then reduce temperature to 325 degrees F for an additional 30 minutes. When you remove the cheesecake it should have a slight wiggle in the center, the cheesecake will set up as it cools.

Prepare The Sour Cream Layer:

While the cheesecake cools, begin to prepare the seasoned cream cheese layer. In a small bowl combine sour cream, sugar, and spices. Blend well. Spread sour cream mixture evenly over the baked cheesecake. Place the cheesecake back into the 325 degree F oven for 8 minutes so the sour cream layer will set.

Prepare The Whipped Cream:

Allow the cheesecake to cool completely. In a medium sized bowl combine 2 pints heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and sugar, mix well with a blender or a stand mixer. Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks. Remove ring from the spring-form pan, and either pipe the whipped cream over the pumpkin cheesecake or spread with a knife.

To Serve:

Cut into 8-10 slices, drizzle the top of the cheesecake with caramel sauce, and then sprinkle over gingersnap crumbs.

Makes 1 Pie

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1/4 cup butter, softened
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
(6) (1/2-inch) slices Italian bread
6 slices mozzarella cheese – trimmed to fit bread slices
3 tablespoons basil Pesto
(6) (1/4-inch) slices Roma tomato
julienne fresh basil, for garnish

Mix butter with garlic and garlic powder. Spread butter mixture over bread slices. Place a slice of mozzarella on each piece of bread. Place a slice of tomato on each slice of mozzarella. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of Pesto over each slice of tomato.
Place bread on a cookie sheet and bake in a 500 degree F oven for 4 minutes, or until cheese has melted.
Sprinkle basil over the top.

Serves 2

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Each time I cook mixed vegetable curry, I tend to tweak and experiment with spices. Today’s recipe is a result of one such experiment. Am quite satisfied with the end result and hence makes an appearance here. A versatile dish that makes a decent side with rice, rotis as well as dosas.

1 Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add cumin seeds and allow to splutter. Add chopped onions and saute till pink. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for 3 mts.
2 Add the carrot, potato, beans and cauliflower and saute on medium flame for 4-5 mts on medium high. Add salt and turmeric pwd and combine. Reduce flame, place lid and cook till the vegetables are half cooked. Add crushed tomatoes and cook further for another 4-5 mts.
3 Add 2 cups of water to the vegetables and bring to a boil. Cook with lid for 7-8 mts. Remove lid, add the ground paste and mix well. Add amchur pwd and kitchen king masala pwd and mix. Cook on low-medium flame for 15-20 mts, till the texture is thick and not watery.
4 Turn off heat and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve with hot rice, chapatis or dosas.

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We are enjoying beautiful weather today, cool, breezy with a light drizzle. It prompted me to bake a simple chocolate marble pound cake. I wanted to experience the aroma of freshly baked cake. Nothing fancy going on here. Just basic cake making ingredients – flour, butter, sugar, eggs and cocoa powder.

1 Preheat oven to 170 C. Grease and flour a 9″ round baking pan.
2 Sieve maida, baking pwd and salt in a bowl.
3 In another bowl, combine butter and sugar. Use a hand blender to make a smooth creamy mixture.
4 Add one egg at a time, beating each egg for 1 mt. Add vanilla essence and mix.
5 Using low speed, mix in the flour mixture little by little alternating with milk. Do not overbeat, just mix till flour is combined.
6 Remove a cup of this batter in a bowl and combine cocoa pwd. Mix it and do not over beat.
7 Pour a tbsp of white colored batter into the greased and floured pan. Alternate with a tbsp of cocoa batter. Continue through out till both the batters are finished.
8 Take a knife and swirl it around the batter in a zig zag fashion, 3-4 times.
9 Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 mts or till a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. If the cake is browning too quickly on the top, remove from oven, cover with an aluminum foil and bake till done. Place on a wire rack to cool for 15 mts. Slice and serve at room temperature.

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We visited a friends farm recently and came back loaded with farm fresh vegetables. I plucked a few tender bitter gourds off the vine keeping in mind a favorite recipe that calls for slender gourds. The recipe in question is an Andhra classic – Gutti Kakarakaya. Its a simple dish and my favorite go-to recipe for special occasions. The roasting process intensifies the flavor of the stuffing while charring and softening the bitter gourds. The unmistakable bitterness of kakarakaya is balanced with the spiced, tangy-sweet stuffing comprising of onions, garlic, jaggery, tamarind and red chilies.

1 In a vessel, add 1/4 cup buttermilk, pinch of salt and 1/2 tsp turmeric pwd and combine. Place the partially slit whole bitter gourd in this mixture for 10-15 mts. Remove any trace of liquid off the bitter gourds. Keep aside.
1 Prepare the stuffing by heating a tsp oil in a cooking vessel, add garlic and cinnamon stick and saute for a few seconds. Add the sliced onions and saute till rawness disappears. Approx 4 mts. Keep aside to cool.
2 Once cool, make a coarse paste. Remove the paste into bowl, add salt to taste, red chilli pwd, jaggery, coriander pwd, cumin pwd and methi pwd. Combine well and stuff the bitter gourds with this paste.
3 Add the remaining oil in a vessel, add curry leaves and toss them for a few seconds. Add the methi seeds and let them turn brown. Place the stuffed bitter gourds in the oil along with any left over stuffing and cook on medium high flame for 2 mts. Now, cover with lid and let them cook on medium low flame for 15 mts. Keep checking in between and stir fry to ensure they don’t burn or stick to the pan.
4 Add the tamarind extract along 1/4 cup of water. Reduce flame and place lid and cook over low flame for another 10-12 mts. The water content should reduce. Remove lid and cook over low flame and let the bitter gourds roast well and it appears like a dry saute (mudda kura). It should take about 8-10 mts for them to be well roasted. Turn off heat.
5 Serve with rice.

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Tomato Pappu mixed with a dollop of ghee and rice with Mango Avakai is a dearly loved combination and an integral part of everyday Andhra vegetarian food culture. Simple, earthy, soulful food! Tur dal aka Kandi Pappu with tomato is a winning combination and the addition of fresh coriander brings a perfect touch.

1 Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add mustard seeds, let them pop, add the cumin seeds, garlic, red chillis, and curry leaves and saute for few secs. Add the chopped onions, green chilies and ginger and sauté till onions turn slightly pink.
2 Add the chopped tomatoes and stir fry for 4-5 mts. Add the turmeric pwd and salt and combine.
3 Add the cooked and mashed dal to the onion-tomato mixture. Add 1 cup water and cook for another 10 mts on low-medium heat. Garnish with coriander leaves.
4 Serve with white rice or hot rotis.

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Nehal is enjoying his Dasara break with his friends. School break means more work for me in the kitchen. I don’t mind it at all, in fact, enjoy it. Yesterday, I baked a charming, delicious sweet treat for Nehal and his friends. Pineapple Upside Down Cake! Though it sounds and looks fancy, its a breeze to make.

1 Preheat oven to 175 C. Grease and flour a round baking pan. Prepare the topping by melting butter in a pan and add brown sugar. As the sugar melts and foams, cook on medium flame for a mt and pour into the baking pan. Over this sugar layer, place pineapple slices and in the center of each pineapple piece place a glazed cherry. Keep aside.
2 Sieve maida, baking pwd and salt in a bowl.
3 In another bowl, cream butter and sugar. Use a hand blender to make a smooth creamy mixture. Add the beaten egg and combine well. Add vanilla essence and combine.
4 Fold in the maida mixture little by little alternating with milk. Do not over beat, just fold the dry till there is not trace of any flour.
5 Pour batter over the fruit layer. Bake in preheated oven for 45 mts or till a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool, slice and serve at room temperature.

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The flavor combination of today’s recipe is intriguing and enticing. Simple everyday traditional Andhra pulusu (tangy stew) prepared with amaranth greens, tamarind pulp and spices. The addition of a magical ingredient aka mustard powder elevates the flavor profile by leaps and bounds. A must-try for all you Amaranth fans out there.

1 Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add mustard seeds, let them pop, add the cumin seeds, methi seeds and let them turn slightly red. Add split gram dal and let it turn red. Add garlic, red chillis, curry leaves, chopped onions and green chillis and sauté till onions turn slightly pink (approx 3-4 mts).
2 Add the thotakura and stir fry for 4 mts. Add the turmeric pwd and salt and mix. Cover with lid and cook till the greens cook (approx 6-7 mts).
3 Add the tamarind extract and jaggery and mix well. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and cook for another 9-10 mts or till the rawness of tamarind disappears. Sprinkle the rice flour and mix and you will find that the gravy thickens. Cook for a minute, add mustard pwd and mix. Turn off heat.
4 Serve with white rice.

Blanching of amaranth leaves Boil 2 cups water in a deep vessel. Add salt, pinch of turmeric pwd and chopped amaranth leaves and cook over medium flame for 5 mts. Strain and use left over water to prepare chapati dough and use the blanched leaves and stalks as called for in the recipe.

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1 – 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
olive oil
1/3 cup salted butter
1 slice prosciutto – diced
2 teaspoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup Marsala wine
(2) 4 oz. cans sliced mushrooms – drained
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoon corn starch
1 cup cold chicken broth
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Pound chicken breasts until thin. In a bowl, combine the salt, 1 tsp. black pepper, oregano, thyme, parsley, marjoram and garlic powder. Coat chicken lightly with olive oil. Use the spice mixture to coat chicken evenly; place in the refrigerator until needed.
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add prosciutto, shallots, and garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds. Add Marsala to pan and simmer for 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and black pepper and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium.
Dissolve corn starch in chicken broth, then add to saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add parsley and cream to saucepan and simmer for 3 – 4 minutes, or until thick. Remove from heat and cover until needed.
Grill coated chicken over a medium flame for 5 – 7 minutes per side, or until cooked. Place grilled chicken on individual serving plate and spoon sauce over chicken.

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Pappula podi is a versatile spiced powder that enhances the flavor profile of vegetarian dishes lending them a unique taste. Most vegetables on the likes of okra, eggplant, ivy gourd and bitter gourd taste remarkably good when seasoned with Pappula podi. Constituents of this magic potion aka Putnala podi are roasted chick peas, dry coconut and red chili powder.

1 Wash dondakayalu and nip the tip and tail ends. Slice them into thin pieces and keep aside.
2 Heat a heavy bottomed cooking vessel, add oil, once hot, reduce to medium flame. Add cumin seeds and curry leaves and fry for a few seconds till the aroma emanates the kitchen.
3 Add the dondakaya pieces and saute on medium heat for 3 mts. Add the sliced onions, reduce to low flame, place lid, let it cook, approx 15 minutes. Keep checking in between, sauteing them so that they don’t burn. The sauteed tindora will lose moisture and begin to have a wrinkled appearance. Remove lid at this stage and saute on low for 7-8 mts.
4 Add salt and turmeric pwd and mix well. Saute on medium heat for 5-6 minutes, keep sauteing so that it doesn’t burn. Add red chilli pwd and coriander pwd and mix. Cook on low-medium flame for another 12-15 mts, without lid. Add pappula podi and mix well. Turn off heat.
5 Serve hot with steamed rice.

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Am back after much needed rest. Thank you dear readers for sending kind, heart warming wishes my way.

A much cherished and relished vegetable in our home is bitter gourd. A favorite of mine is today’s bitter gourd pickle with a sweet flavor that happens to be one of Amma’s specialty dishes. What makes it palate pleasing is the addition of jaggery and tamarind combined with a tempering of curry leaves and dals that add for a bit of crunch. Sweet, sour and tangy flavors that are enticing and addictive. Bitter gourd never tasted better.

The bitter gourds you see in the picture above are freshly plucked off the vine. Ensure that you use tender fresh bitter gourd. Discard the hard seeds. Taste and adjust salt and chili powder till it strikes the right balance with the tang and sweet flavors. Keeps well when refrigerated for a few weeks.

1 Cut the bitter gourd length wise and slice as shown in the picture above. Deep fry the sliced bitter gourd to a light brown shade. Drain and keep aside.
2 In a stainless steel vessel, add the tamarind and enough water till the tamarind is immersed. Bring it to a boil and turn off heat and cool.
3 Once cool, pour this into the blender jar along with salt, chili pwd and jaggery syrup or sugar. Grind a smooth paste, remove and keep aside. (this will be of a pouring consistency)
4 Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, once hot, reduce flame to medium. Add mustard seeds and as they splutter, add split gram dal, channa dal and methi seeds and allow them to turn red. Add curry leaves and crushed garlic and saute for a half a mt on low flame.
5 Immediately add the ground tamarind-jaggery paste and combine. Add coriander pwd, mustard pwd and methi pwd and combine. Let it cook for a mt on low-medium flame.
6 Add the deep fried bitter gourd pieces and combine. Cook on low flame for 4-5 mts. Turn off heat.
7 Cool and store in an airtight bottle. Refrigerate.

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It’s time for the Grow Your Own third anniversary roundup. I was very excited as I received the information on each post and I want to extend a special thanks to all who participated. We had friends from Canada, Australia, Malaysia, and the United States all sharing what they are making with the food they grew, foraged, hunted, or raised.

If you’d like to join us, our host for September is Heather of of Girlichef and she has posted an announcement with all the details. Deadline for posts is September 30, so make sure you send your information to Heather and she will post a round-up a few days later.

And now for the round-up! Click the images to visit the posts. (Presented in the order received.)

Roasted PumpkinZini Soup from Liisa of Liisa’s New Blahhhg (Oregon, United States)

Liisa shows us an example of squash cross pollination and a delicious soup made with her hybrid pumpkinzini.

Rhubarb Crumble from Cathy of Aficionado (Sydney, Australia)

Cathy’s rhubarb crumble is a lovely example of how the simplest foods can be the most satisfying.

Carnitas con Verdolagas (Purslane) from Heather of Girlichef (Indiana, United States)

Heather found she could grow her own purslane and loves the flavor it adds to her carnitas.

Meyers Lemon Curd from Dorothy of Shockinglydelicious (California, United States)

Dorothy’s lemon curd made from her homegrown Meyers lemons is easy and perfect for your morning toast or bagel.

Goat Cheese & Nectarines from Gudrun of Kitchen Gadget Girl (California, United States)

Gudrun made her neighborhood block party even more delicious with not just one, but three gorgeous appetizers, including nectarines with goat cheese and mint.

Pandan Spiral Moon Cakes from Nate & Annie of House of Annie (Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia)

Using taro sweet potatoes grown by one of their friends, Nate and Annie made these lovely pandan spiral moon cakes for Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.

Roasted Tomato Sauce from Sarah of What Smells So Good (Ontario, Canada)

Sarah grew her heirloom tomatoes from seed and now has an amazing number of plants. She shares her recipe for roasted tomato sauce.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes from Andrea Meyers (Virginia, United States)

And finally, our process for slow roasting tomatoes, which we pack in olive oil and freeze for the winter.

Thanks for reading this blog through a feed! Copyright © 2005-2010 Andrea Meyers: cooking, gardening & four hungry guys.

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What you are about to see is not pretty.

It’s true, sometimes gardening is neither beautiful nor relaxing, particularly when dealing with garden pests and ultra resilient weeds.

Take, for instance, the grass and weeds growing in our garden and behind the fence.

These weeds are the bane of our summer existence, and we spend loads of hours pulling them out of the ground to rid them from the garden. Some grow several feet tall and come through the fence, tangling themselves around the cucumbers, beans, peas, and anything else that’s within their reach. Plus the poison ivy tries to sneak through with it, something we definitely don’t need among the edibles.

Then there’s the mutant grass that doesn’t know it’s underneath a so-called weed proof barrier in the garden walkway we made back in the spring. This grass scoffs at the barriers, forcing its way through the black fabric and between the stones. During our recent weeklong trip to visit family, it spread itself all over the garden walkway leaving me with a huge mess of weeds to pull when I got back. And of course the mutant grass loves all the good compost in the raised beds. It’s everywhere, except of course in all the bare spots in the yard where we really want it.

Once the mutant grass dies back this fall, we’re going to scoop up all the stones and start the whole project over, maybe with a multi-layer approach using cardboard, newspaper, and landscape fabric. Then we’ll have to figure out what to do about the enormous weeds coming through the fence.

Thanks for reading this blog through a feed! Copyright © 2005-2010 Andrea Meyers: cooking, gardening & four hungry guys.

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When my parents said the farmers market in downtown Columbia, SC was a drive thru, they weren’t kidding. We literally drove through the giant open barn that houses the market, with vendors on either side of the “road” and loads of fresh local fruits and vegetables. Melons and peaches were in abundance as were the local wild grapes which are in season, the muscadines and scuppernogs. They were stacked in large woodchip baskets on rolling shelves, lined up on the ground, and overflowing out of the backs of trucks that were lined up on each side of the barn. We stopped at a few vendors, buying cantaloupes, then checking out the wild grapes. We brought home a big basket of muscadines and a small basket of scuppernogs and sampled them at our leisure.

The dark muscadines are a little sweeter than the green scuppernogs, though they are both technically muscadine grapes. These aren’t the typical sweet seedless grapes that you find in the grocery stores; they have a rich, complex flavor, which makes them good wine grapes. The skins are thick, so thick that chewing takes some work, but you can just pierce the skin with your teeth and suck out the rich pulp. Don’t forget to spit the seeds.

If you can’t make wine from them, the next best thing is to make jam. The old fashioned method cooks the skins separate from the pulp, which is strained to remove the seeds, then recombines it all. I tried a variation on this method, though I can’t say this is thoroughly tested. I made two batches, one set up well but the other only so-so. Since we can’t find muscadines in our area, I can’t retest until next August when we make another trip south to visit family, which means this is an experimental recipe. Try it, see if you like it, tell me how it works for you.

What I can vouch for is the flavor, which makes me wish I had muscadines growing in our backyard. We enjoy it with goat cheese and crackers, but it’s also good for spreading on toast or English muffins. You may never go back to grocery store grape jam.

(Print this recipe)

MUSCADINE GRAPE JAM

Makes 8 (8-ounce) jars.

Equipment

6-quart heavy bottom pot with lid
4-quart heavy bottom pot
large bowl
sieve or food mill
potato masher
8 (8-ounce) jelly jars with lids and bands
canning pot with lid
wide mouth funnel
jar lifter

Ingredients

1 gallon muscadine grapes
4-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 package pectin, dry

Preparation

1. Rinse the grapes well and remove the stems. Pierce each grape with a sharp  knife and put them in 6-quart pot. Add water just until the grapes start to float. Cover with the lid and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the grapes are soft, about 30 to 40 minutes. Mash the grapes using the potato masher.

2. Press the mixture through a sieve or use a food mill to separate the pulp from the skins and seeds. Use a spatula to scrape excess pulp from underneath the sieve into the bowl. Transfer the pulp and juice into the 4-quart pot.

3. Mix together the pectin and 1/4 cup of the sugar, then add to the grape pulp and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Add the remaining sugar and bring back to a full boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. The mixture should have small bubbles constantly breaking the surface. Continue cooking for 10 minutes, then test the mixture by spooning a little out onto a plate. Wait a few minutes and check the jam, it should start to set as it cools. If it’s too runny, continue cooking and checking every 5 minutes.

4. While the mixture cooks, place the jars in the canning pot and add water until it’s 1 inch over the top of the jars. Bring to a boil and then turn off the heat, leaving the jars in for at least 10 minutes. In the small pot, heat water to 180° F. Add the lids and leave them in for at least 10 minutes to soften the sealing compound and sterilize them. Do not boil the lids to avoid seal failure.

5. When the mixture is ready, drain and remove the jars from the pot. Turn on the heat for the canning pot and bring the water temperature up to 180° F. Ladle the jam mixture into the jars using the wide mouth funnel, leaving about 1/4-inch headspace. Run a thin spatula around the inside edge of the jar to remove bubbles. Wipe the top of the jars clean with a clean damp cloth and place the hot lids on top. Add the bands and tighten just until finger tight.

6. Use the jar lifter to gently lower the jars into the hot water. Cover with the lid and bring back to a rolling boil. Process for 10 minutes, then use the jar lifter to remove the jars from the pot. Place hot jars on a wooden board and leave them for 12 to 24 hours, until they cool completely. Check for a seal after they have cooled. Store sealed jars in a cool dark place for up to 12 months. Store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator.

More Jams and Jellies

More Jam Recipes From Around the Blogs

Hedonia – Fig Jam

Wasabimon – Peach Elderberry Jam

The Cook’s Cottage – Passion Fruit Jam

eCurry – Mango Jam

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Thanks for reading this blog through a feed! Copyright © 2005-2010 Andrea Meyers: cooking, gardening & four hungry guys.

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Last weekend I was in Seattle for the second International Food Bloggers Conference. I had to miss it last year and was very excited about the chance to participate this year. The conference was held at the Theo Chocolate factory in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, and the agenda had a number of sessions that caught my interest as well as a few that turned out to be pleasant surprises. Though the cost of the conference may make you feel a pinch in the wallet, I think it was an excellent value considering the quality of the sessions as well as the chefs they brought in to cook the lunches and dinners.

The weekend was fantastic from start to finish. Spending time with old friends (Jen, Susan, Alice, Diane, Stephanie, Denise), making new ones (John, Allison, Peabody, Kevin, Amanda, Donna, Deseree), and meeting so many folks that I admire (Shauna and Dan, Penny, Kelly, Diane, Lael) was the biggest kick for me. I admit I was a little tongue-tied when meeting some of these fantastic folks, which is probably better than babbling on like a dork, but still I hope I didn’t make a complete fool out of myself.

In addition to all the awesome people, here are my biggest “likes” from the conference:

Penny de lo Santos: Beautiful photographs that make my heart ache. I had a moment akin to the first time I saw The Bread Baker’s Apprentice cover in the bookstore, when I had this out of body experience and heard my own voice say, “I want to make bread like that.” Being engulfed in Penny’s photos brought the same reaction, “I want to make photos like that.” I finally had to stop tweeting her tips because I didn’t want to miss a single image. And she is funny and delightful. The biggest thing I hung onto from Penny’s presentation is to allow time for photographs to happen. Waiting for the right moment can make all the difference between a good photograph and a photograph that stimulates our emotions.

James Oseland: It was so refreshing to hear from a leader in the food mainstream media that he not only gets bloggers but embraces us. He shared how he started writing about food, and like most of us got into it in a roundabout way. He understands our need to share our love for food and food culture and supports the work we do, whether as a hobby or a profession.

Shauna and Alex: The session on blogging and special diets was really excellent. There was never a moment where it felt like the conversation was stilted or awkward. Both are passionate about their work and it shone through.

Morgan Spurlock: Takes a serious topic and makes it accessible to all without being overbearing. And he’s darn funny, too. (Check out Jen’s photo op with him!)

Readers to Eaters: Phillip and June Jo Lee promote food literacy with programs and events designed to help connect eating and reading. They work with libraries, schools, farmers markets, community organizations, and restaurants to create custom programs. As an educator, I think their work is wonderful and would love to see an organization like this working in the DC Metro area.

Seattle Urban Farm Co.: I had a chance to chat with Brad, one of the owners, and they do some great stuff helping individuals and companies set up organic sustainable gardens. If you are in the Seattle area and want help with a garden, check them out.

Modernist Cuisine: This is what you can do when you have an insatiable interest in something and money is no object. It was like Food Geeks meet The Mythbusters and Time Warp, great stuff. The book collection is a tad pricey for the average home cook, but I really don’t think that’s their audience, and I’m hoping for a digital version with HD video at some point so the boys can amuse themselves watching the popcorn video a zillion times in a row.

Lamb, Grits and food trucks: Yes, we had some really tasty food: bahn mi and rack of lamb on Friday night, steak tartar on Saturday, and grits (yes, grits) on Saturday night. The food truck lunch on Sunday was not only delicious but also my kind of casual fun.

Anita’s Crepes

Rolling Fire

Skillet

Twitter back channel: Check out the #IFBC Twitter stream if you haven’t already. You’ll find lots of helpful tips and quotes from the sessions as well as some hilarious snarky commentary, some of which could make a sailor blush.

Finally, a big special thanks to Theo Chocolate, Sur La Table, POM Wonderful, and all the other sponsors who helped make this weekend memorable. And I’m looking forward to the possibility of IFBC becoming a roving event, perhaps on the East Coast next year!

Thanks for reading this blog through a feed! Copyright © 2005-2010 Andrea Meyers: cooking, gardening & four hungry guys.

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