Bowl Licker

Let me be honest, the past four weeks have been crazy and while there is nothing I would love more right now than to be cooking and blogging it up- times are a wee bit crazy. So not wanting to allow the sound of silence to prevail I reached into my humor bag and pulled out a recipe my mom sent me (at least I *think* it is a joke).

Gracie Allen’s Classic Recipe for Roast Beef

Ingredients

1 large Roast of beef
1 small Roast of beef

Directions

Take the two roasts and put them in the oven.
When the little one burns, the big one is done.

It doesn’t get more authentic than this and no puddles of cheese are necessary. Thin layers of fried eggplant with a light marinara sauce make up this classic dish. Breaking from my usual Sicilian-self I’ve eliminated the extra breadcrumb calories. Aside from the obvious benefits of a lower calorie count this Eggplant Parmigiana dish has another benefit — it can be served as a first course, vegetable side dish or even a main course.

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs eggplant (approx 2 large or 4 small eggplants), skin and ends removed
3 cups + 3 TBS olive oil (can use 1/2 vegetable and 1/2 olive oil)
5 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
3 1/2 lbs plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped (can substitute 2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes, drained)
12 large basil leaves, washed/dried/sliced
8 oz fresh wet mozzarella, torn into 1/4 inch pieces
1 1/2 cup (approximately 3 1/4 oz) Parmigiano-Reggiano
kosher salt
salt and pepper, to taste
2 TBS garlic salt
1 TBS Italian Seasoning

Directions

Take the eggplants and begin to prepare by first removing the ends and then removing the skin. Cut each eggplant crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices. Cover the sides and the bottom of a colander with a few eggplant slices and sprinkle generously with kosher salt. The salt will draw out the water and reduce the eggplant’s ability to absorb oil. Top with more layers of eggplant and salt until you run out of slices. Fill a large pot with water and place the colander with the eggplant in it, weighting it down with a heavy bowl. This will keep the eggplant from turning brown. Bathe the salted eggplant in the water for 30-60 minutes.

While eggplants are in the water begin to make the sauce. Heat 3 TBS of olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until just golden and fragrant, approximately 2-5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and/or the diced tomatoes with 1/2 tsp salt. Raise the heat to medium-high and stir occasionally until the tomatoes begin to break down into a sauce consistency. If using canned tomatoes it will take 10 minutes however, if using fresh tomatoes it should take 20-25 minutes. (Note: When using fresh tomatoes the sauce tends to dry up before the tomatoes have properly been broken down. In this instance you will want to add warm water, 1 TBS at a time.) Lower the heat to medium, add in the garlic salt and Italian Seasoning. Continue cooking tomatoes 5-10 minutes until the sauce becomes thick and chunky sauce as if there is too much liquid the sauce will make the final dish watery. Turn off the heat, remove the garlic and stir in the basil leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Allow the eggplant to drain and pat dry each slice so to avoid dangerous hot oil splattering when it is time to fry the eggplant. It is easiest to do this by lining a baking sheet with paper towels and putting a few slices on it. Top with another paper towel and add in a few more slices, repeating until no slices remain.

To fry the eggplant, fill a 3-4 quart sauce pan or pot with the remainder of the oil and heat to 275 degrees (this can be checked with a candy thermometer or if you don’t have a candy thermometer cut a small edge of one eggplant and dip it into the oil – if it sizzles immediately, the oil is ready.) I find that using a pot vs a sauce pan does reduce some of the oil splatter around the kitchen but can be a bit more dangerous when turning/browning the eggplant slices. When adding in the eggplant be certain not to crowd the pot/pan. Cook, turning only once, until golden brown on the other side. It is important to work quickly when frying and turning the eggplant and I recommend a slotted metal spoon or metal tongs. The second side always cooks quicker so watch carefully once turned onto the second side. Once cooked to desired brown color, drain-off as much oil as possible. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Repeat until all of the slices are fried, layering the refried eggplant between the paper towels.

Using a 8×10-inch baking dish, layer about 1/3 of the eggplant slices so they overlap slightly on the bottom. Next layer the marinara sauce over the eggplant, make sure to cover. Evenly sprinkle half of the mozzarella and then 1/3 cup Parmigiano cheese. Repeat for the second layer then for final layer put more tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese over the remaining eggplant slices.

Bake in preheated oven at 450 degrees on a rack positioned in the center of the oven until the cheese has melted evenly and the top is bubbly with browned edges. Cooking time is approximately 20-25minutes. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving to allow the cheese to become a bit more firm before serving so that it doesn’t fall apart when transferring from baking dish to plate.

As a main dish this serves four as a side dish it serves six.

A few weeks ago I was at a Halloween bake sale and there was this one type of cup cake that hardly anyone had purchased. I learned that the man selling them was also the baker of this quasi-untouched treat. I consequently purchased his cup cakes out of sympathy, so that he wouldn’t feel badly that his prized treats remained on the nearly empty table. I mistakenly never caught his name.

Upon returning home, having one of my usual Saturday chocolate cravings, I decided to give this treat a whirl on my palate. Much to my surprise, it was amongst the best cup cakes I have had to date. At my first bite, I realized I had found my new obsession. Chocolate cup cakes with caramel frosting….and obsess is exactly what I did over the next two weeks. I read at least 12 books and countless blogs to see if somehow I could recreate this delectable morsel which seemed like the perfect treasure to bestow upon a friend. I am happy to report success! While it may not be this mystery person’s recipe, I think it is a wonderful blend of flavors and I can divulge that I ate two while they were still warm out of the oven and- *just* frosted!

(Note: Be sure to read over the entire recipe as there are two ingredients lists and two sets of directions.)

Cocoa Fudge Cup Cakes topped with Classic Carmel Frosting
Makes 22-24 cup cakes

Cocoa Cup Cake

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup soft shortening
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, soda and salt.

Using a hand held mixer, stir in shortening, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat for two minutes at medium speed. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times to ensure that the dry ingredients are well mixed.

Add in eggs and beat for two minutes more, scraping bottom and sides of bowl often.

You can either coat the cup cake pan with cooking spray or use cup cake liners. Pour 2/3 of the way up the cup cake pan. Cook for 20-22 minutes until toothpick inserted into center comes out dry.

Classic Caramel Frosting

Ingredients

2 cups light brown sugar, tightly packed
4 TBS butter
4 TBS water
2 tsps vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
22 miniature marshmallows- optional

Directions

In a medium-size heavy-bottomed sauce pan, on medium-high heat melt the brown sugar, water and butter together, stirring constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue boiling for one minute before removing it from the heat.

While the mixture is still warm, add the vanilla and then stir in the powdered sugar under it reaches the frosting consistency you desire. Frost while mixture is warm for a smooth finish. Top with a miniature marshmallow.

Eat them!

So it is official- I’ve been hacked by someone going by the alias Fatzv3. Not sure who this being is but he/she is anything but worthy of accolades in my book (or rather my blog). So I’ve written to @Twitter and asked them to please let me come back as myself and not his cheesy porn gal with the name Fat+a few extra letters/numbers. Feel free to help me in my quest to restore my identity by tweeting “@Twitter please bring back @ginavon”.

I truly wish I could claim that I have the body for this new calling but alas, an Italian girl who loves to cook it up (and yes, work-out to pay it forward) is not really the one you should be hunting down for this unapplied for job. I am flattered and annoyed. I hope that this was fun for you, now can we move on? I do not feel like breaking up with my friends and followers- please go find some of your own Twitter/Facebook fans and try to use a bit more creativity in creating your own identity.

Here is the culprit.

p.s. don’t worry foodies- you are still on a food/tech geek gal site, I am just on a minor rant. New vlogs coming your way. Maybe I’ll branch out in the spirit of this rouse and do a bit to tease you with some sexy pictures of frittata (AKA foodie porn).

It was a week ago that I spent my entire day at BlogHer Food09 at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco. Since that time numerous articles have been written about the the event and I realized from the moment I had “planned” to write my post that I would be at risk of not having anything new or news worthy to say – then I realized that my take on things would inevitably be different than everyone elses because I like to let my thoughts simmer (pun intended) – that’s just my style.

THE CONFERENCE: self revelations
I was truly excited about this conference because as someone relatively new to the Foodie blogger label I have grown up a foodie and yet it is a part of me that I have frequently denied- my restaurant heritage. When you grow up with something, and opt out of this career choice you never really imagine that some how you will back in the tangent realm of food. Now to you, the devoted reader, that may be obvious, I wrote a cook book and I talk about food, ergo I am very in touch with my inner cook. Well, I can be a bit stubborn in allowing myself to acknowledge this is my passion. But I believe the day has arrived. With that acknowledgment comes responsibility- or isn’t that what I am supposed to say? I generally avoid doing or saying what I am supposed to say so let’s move away from that lame concept.

THE NETWORKING: better than a tweet-up
The conference, the first of its kind, was a great networking event and a good first step in what I hope will be an event that grows in scope (not size because the approximate 300 attendees/sponsors) was a truly perfect sized group for someone like me who avoids the traditional conference. Having participated in many trade shows I generally avoid them like the plague but this was different. I had the chance to get together with some of my favorite gals – Stacy Libby, Stefania Butler, Charlene Prince Birk, Jane Maynard, Lori Luna – meet in person my long time Twitter buddies Jennifer Perillo, Alice Currah, Vanessa Druck a few new friends Genie Gratto, Heather Hal, Arnold Gatilao, Lori Lange and Jeremy Pepper.

SPONSOR IMPRESSIONS: those that tried and those that won
Not to boar you with the fine little details but my take on the sponsors is that there was a good mix of sponsors to address the mommy blogger crowd and the more au natural food blogger gang. That said, the event may benefit in the future from holding two days next year to provide insight to these two distinct groups. That’s not to say that there isn’t cross-over, there certainly is but then I think I may be amongst the few to ADMIT to toggling the line. For example, I love to cook with fresh local ingredients but I also like to include items like Campbell’s Soup in some of my quick meals because I don’t always want to make my onion soup, nor do I have time to do this, when blending this flavor into my dishes. (This goes back to the fact that I am a person with limited time and resources and yet I often prefer to cook then to go out to eat but I don’t usually have 5 hours to splurge during the week to whip up my grandmother’s typical five course meals.)

Another sponsor was Bertolli Frozen, they took a few hits at the show for not knowing their audience and while I adored the Bertolli team that was kind enough to include me in their Friday night festivities at St. Supery (which I viewed as a big success), I have to confess that there might have been a better way to showcase their products at the luncheon and I say this from the view point of someone who has done numerous events and is open to the idea of incorporating their high-end alternative to cooking products into a meal — offering a pasta bar of their featured foods or having a tasters plate blended with other fresh local veggies and/or breads might have featured their product in a slightly different light. This is where Campbell’s won the prize in my mind, they hosted the cocktail party and they used all recipes made from their product line and it was done on the veranda on a gorgeous city night and the compliments were flying – it was tasteful and anything but a hard sell and it worked.

Scharffen Berger Hosted the afternoon break demonstration with acclaimed chef, Elizabeth Falkner and these wonderful chocolate boxes filled with chocolate glob and salty and sweet and spicy treats — and well you had to wear a glove to get a bit but it was creepy and fun all at the same time. Personally, I loved the creativity behind it and the experience. They were showcasing their upcoming Chocolate Adventure Contest and had a great follow-up invitation to this afternoon on two fronts – they participated in the post-party deserts showcase and a cooking webinar a few days later. This sponsor showed they knew their audience and took extra steps to solidify and leverage this event to meet their end results. From a marketing/sponsorship/communications viewpoint this was well executed – another win!

TAKE AWAYS (not take-outs): we all have something to learn
What I loved was a lot of the take-away thoughts that I’ll share with you. Guest speakers included an all star line -up of Matt Armendariz and Heidi Swanson (Developing Your Visual Voice), Amy Sherman, Jaden Hair and Helen Dujardin (Your Blog Is Great…now what? Letting your blog lead the way the way to new opportunity), and Jory Des Jardin, Ree Drummond, Garret McCord, Dianne Jacob and Susan Russo (The Meaning of Identity and the Value of Voice in a Crowded Foodblogging World) and then the closing keynote with Lisa Stone, Elise Bauer, Ree Drummond and David Lebovitz (Foodblogging, now and forever).

Two fun video clips taken with the Bertolli Flip during the closing key note with Ree Drummond, David Debovtiz and Elise Bauer (L–> R):

Developing Your Visual Voice- 5 things to think about
(there were 7, I choose 5)

1) Be inspired by others
2) Think about photos in context
3) Understand what you are shooting
4) Think about the type of shots you are after
5) The workflow is important

Bottom line- there are no rules. Take as many or as few shots as you like, have fun with it and be bold.

Your Blog is Great… now what?

Use this as your yardstick when opting to provide your work for free:
Cash/Credibilty/Visiblity

People will always want your work for free and if you give it away then you hurt others in the business. For example, one person in the audience shared that she used to get $1,200 to write a piece and now the market will only pay her $300 for a piece. Where can you go to learn the value of your work? Your local food society. Ask them what the going rate is for what you’ve been asked to do for free.

Remember your recipe is the MEAT of a piece and the photos are the DRESSING.

Advice from the professionals:
- Helen: where each opportunity will lead you – who knows? But why not try it. If someone tells you NO it is not NO FOREVER it is NO for right now.

- Amy: Food is a competitive business and it is not always pretty. But usually it is friendly and passionate. Blogs open up the door to new opportunities but the deal is sealed in person.

- Jaden: Treat your blog as a business and get advisers to provide perspective, ask a more well recognized blogger if you can be an intern, write a yearly business plan and stretch beyond your blog to be a leader in food.

The Meaning of Identity and the Value of Voice in a Crowded Foodblogging World

Garrett: Blogging is VERY “I” focused.

Garrett: A good rule is not to say anything on your blog that you wouldn’t say at a cocktail party. (Ree asks,” After how many drinks!”)

Susan: How you deal with criticism is up to you but you have to let a lot go, as long as it doesn’t get personal.

Ree: I will often spend between 1-5 hrs on a post but not all at one time, because sometimes I am herding cattle.

Dianne: I had trouble finding my ‘Me” voice. It is important to define your voice for your readers, as a journalist we were not accustomed to doing this.

WHAT TO HOPE FOR NEXT TIME: my suggestions
I think there is a big opportunity to look towards some tracks that appeal to the every-day blogger that struggles to post even once a week. Talking with the celbs of this micro-mondo are good but I did find that left me wanting even a bit more practical every-day advice. Some tracks I would vote for on the foodie front:

The Economic Hangover/Cooking Less- Getting More

The proposed session looks at how we can get the most out of our limited available time to maximize our efforts and food dollars to recover from our manic lives in this economic hangover. The discussion would be focused on how to spend less time in the kitchen but arrive at getting more – the more being healthier meals, meals in reserve and stretching and leveraging your budgetary dollars.

Social Media Food For Thought or Stirring the Pot of Social Media Flavors

As your resident tech-geek gal, I’d like to see a bit more social media in the mix in terms of branding and promoting. Some of this was touched on but not in a structured presentation with solid take-aways which a gal like me would appreciate. Food for thought, if you will!

Unspoiled- The Future of Food Blogging

With so many social media outlets emerging do Foodies really have time to stir the pot to create and/or maintain a successful blog – Twitter, Facebook, Alltop, Del,icio.us, Ning groups and the ingredients list drones on like the who’s of who knows what. Can Foodies get lost in the shuffle and burn themselves out of creating compelling blog posts? Where are food blogs today and which should be at the top of your list? If you spend more time on some outlets will your audience migrate?

(Relevance/My sidebar: seems to me that with all of the new social media outlets, some food bloggers are having a hard time keeping their blog audience, they may drift away from their blog to focus on twitter, or perhaps newbies want to learn how to create a food blog in these times of the social media craze. Should be a solid panel.)

TA-DA
I am forever bemused that true chefs and the more famous variety of cook book authors (Rocco DiSpirito, Ryan Scott, Elizabeth Falkner) are always a bit surprised that the rest of us DO know how to cook. It is a kind of high-brow/low-brow dichotomy and I say it not to paint a divide but to point out a new observation. I’ll be the first to admit that I am not versed in all of the fancy smancy terminology but where good flavors are in the mix I can be trusted. I had the chance to eat dinner with Rocco, and he is an adorable dream, but he too was surprised by the questions of the ladies at our table. And if that wasn’t fun enough, I was invited to come up on stage and help Ryan Scott, Top Chef contestant and chef, cook his frittata and he complimented me on how nicely I cut mushrooms (supplied by sponsor The Mushroom Channel) – I of course laughed and said thank you, he too was quite a charmer even with his girlfriend by his side.

And Elizabeth Falkner on the Scharffen Berger webcast, unless I was imagining it, responded to my questions with an approving nod. So you see…bloggers are cooks too and the rest of the world is about to find out. (well maybe).

Thank you to the folks at BlogHer for taking this inaugural step to host the first blogger foodie show- I hope you will take on the challenge again! I look forward to the Second Annual Event in 2010.

And thank you to the sponsors for believing in the blogger foodies as a viable audience.

Special thanks to the after-party hosts that put on a top notch event – Elise, Jaden and Ree! Great music and OF COURSE great eats!

Please note that I had an great video to share from the Bertolli dinner featuring Gaston and Rocco but the video exceeds the YouTube length by one minute and I am unable to post. If you have any suggestions on another site I can use, please do email send me a note at ginavon@bowllicker.com.

Oh not so long ago, in a land seemingly far away, this story begins. (Foodie Hint: this post is not a cooking post so either honker down or give me hell.) Spitting the dummy is an expression commonly used when I lived in New Zealand working on the America’s Cup project – it was generally used in reference to one, very unkind sailor who constantly threw a tantrum A.K.A. spit the dummy.

Definition from Free Medical Dictionary: a sudden outburst or violent display of rage, frustration, and bad temper, usually occurring in a maladjusted child or immature or disturbed adult- is used primarily as a device for attempting to control others and the surroundings. It most commonly occurs at age 2 to 2-½ years. Also called temper tantrum.

Definition from www.usingenglish.com: Reference to an infant spitting out their dummy (or pacifier) in order to cry.

When I think of the ‘dummy’ aside from this athlete’s poor behavior (definition #1), I think of the term pacifier (definition #2) and the pacifier du monde on a global scale is the PDA.

I am no different, I am addicted to my PDA pacifer, and I wish that admitting it was half the way to solving the problem but really admitting it hasn’t helped me to cure the problem whatsoever. It has however encouraged me to try to get those closest to me addicted to a device of their own. Yes, I can be convincing on occasion and no addict wants to enjoy their addiction in an isolated environment especially when the ‘drug’ is legal. There is no denying it – PDA’s are legal and they are only gaining momentum, while far more prominent in Europe they are soon to take on an entirely new purpose — contactless payment. It is true and it is exciting to me in my geek-a-fied world. To be able to pay for a movie, buy a soft drink, or pay for meal all by your phone. Not to mention all that we can currently do with our phones – surf the internet, text, tweet, facebook, send emails/photos/videos. Let’s face it, for those that aren’t addicted it is only due to lack of knowing how to harness these tools and well the rest of us are simply ADDICTED.

The ramifications? Well, when your PDA becomes your new BFF then what happens to your current BFF? I’ve pondered the question for weeks. When we sacrifice the relationships with those closest to us to communicate with those we may or may not have ever spoken to, has there been a significant social change brought about by social media? I think the answer is yes. I don’t think that will change anytime soon but it should be noted. Is communicating that new selfish frontier that pushes all else aside? Will a new soc-equette evolve as a result? Despite my clear love for all of the new media tools at my disposal I can’t help but want to flip it all on its head and try to understand where it is headed. What are the rules? How should we play? What is the tipping point for the intersections between work and personal and how much should our real social lives sacrifice for our new BFFs? What may be the ‘right’ way to curtail the addiction is certainly not going to be popular or fun. I assure you that I am not ready to leave my pacifier behind, I have a revived thirst for knowledge, I have always been curious but now I have an unquenchable thirst to know as much as possible immediately. I have access to more online articles globally then ever imaginable and I do passionately follow the story trends and bends in perceptions. I am *THAT PERSON* that should tone down my addiction but my rekindled passion for the here and now is all consuming and all empowering at the same time. I don’t know where we go from here but I can’t wait to watch this movie as it unfolds in real time. I can’t seem to loose the pacifier or spit the dummy and I love that those around me find me interesting enough to tolerate me for who I am evolving to be.

Note: Recipe: 50% baby pacifier with 50% cell phone = cellifier. Where ever you are you can now reduce your chances of human contact, and boost the electronical oblivion factor 24/7.

An excerpt from an interesting article in GIGAOM: Shut Up and Drive! How to Identify — and Deal With — Cell Phone Abuse by Blake Snow.

If you decide you do have a problem, the best way to avoid future abuse is to plan ahead. For example, decide beforehand when and how you will use your phone, including periodic power downs. Turn off alerts for low-priority phone messages. And set limits on how often you tweet, so as not to disturb more important things in life — like true friendship, hard deadlines and (you guessed it) safe driving.

I was recently asked to write a guest post for my good Twitter Gal Pal, Jennifer Perillo. While we’ve never actually verbally spoken, we have had many a conversation and recipe exchange and she is someone I eagerly look forward to meeting in September for BlogHer Food in San Francisco. I’ve excerpted a portion of the piece I wrote, slightly more personal than my usual posts…hope you enjoy it!

For the Love of Bread….
I’m not here to merely talk about my carb addiction to bread (yes, glorious bread) but more about digging down to the very crust of it all. Because it is for me, at the very root of the bread-addiction, to be blamed almost entirely upon my family and my heritage. Growing up with a strong, if not occasionally overpowering, Italian heritage is clearly seen in the foods I crave.

While my father’s side cooked predominately with a Northern Italian flare it was my mother’s side that cooked Sicilian (or Southern Italian) food. It is truly difficult to say that one region’s cooking is better than the other, as there is such a variety of food combinations once you move beyond the stereotypes of the ever delectable pasta and pizza. So eating what my mother prepared from her built in index of home cooking enabled me to eat a lot of Sicilian foods. She also cooked a number of other worldly wonderful dishes but this is about my recollection of those fantastic Sicilian dishes as recently recaptured on our Food-cation this past week.

The basic ingredients to 80% of the recipes are: breadcrumbs, garlic, oregano, basil and olive oil. Spending the week with my mom at her vacation home is always a food extravaganza – so worrying about squeezing into my bathing suit during the afternoon would be a wasted empty effort. No matter how huge I may feel, I am told that I always have room for dinner AND desert…oh, and wine since it technically = water, or so it did in the New Testament, so it shall at our table too.

(Yes, I am a tease…to read the rest, you will have to take a visit to In Jennie’s Kitchen)

One side-bar to note: we were only six people eating the 64 meatballs but what we didn’t eat we could easily turn into meatball sandwiches for our beach-side fun. Doesn’t everyone want to eat meatball sandwiches while sitting in their swim suit at a beach filled with skinny folks who are practically drooling at the sight of your lunch? Sure they are skinny but you are eating a slice of heaven.