As a child I often wondered if this was anything like all of the posh East Coast spots I had heard the yachties speak about – Maratha’s Vineyard, The Cape, or Newport Rhode Island. Having grown up sailing on San Francisco Bay and taking a few summer sailing camps at the island I have spent a nice amount of time at this hide-away during the summer months. As I have grown-up, my love for this place has also grown deeper. Since returning as an adult, I recall all of the fond times spent with my Dad, Step Mother and brother running around with large bamboo sticks for the bonfire marshmallow roast, swimming endless hours in the pool, writing in my diary, playing dominoes (Dad’s favorite- don’t beat him he just isn’t made for loosing), backgammon, fishing, hunting crawdads (BTW-they like salami or other meat), water skiing, sailing, reading books and listening to music…..the memories abound! I’ll close the chapter on this aspect of memory lane, and not bore you further, as it truly is time to talk food. The focus of this post is on meal planning – while my friend Jane Maynard, of This Week for Dinner, does a great job of posting weekly menus, I felt inspired to share my humble attempt at this camping menu. The menu worked well and we ended up with very few things to take home with pleased fully bellies all around.

Camping doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a bit of gourmet, au contraire.

Friday
- dinner: Kobe steak kabobs with zucchini, red bell pepper and Maui onions (the vegetables were bushed with olive oil and rosemary. The meat was seasoned with salt and pepper only), field greens and whole wheat baguette served with a crisp white wine from Portugal
- dessert: watermelon au natural, ice cold

Saturday
- breakfast: cheesy scrambled eggs with fire roasted veggies and skillet butter toast
- lunch: honey roasted turkey grilled cheese sandwiches
- appetizers: salami with cream cheese, roasted garlic hummus with carrots and celery
- dinner: honey marinated chili chicken breasts; Yukon gold potato/onion herb packets; white corn on the cob brushed with paprika butter; romaine salad with carrots, Capri tomatoes, and home made croutons served with a crisp white wine from Portugal
- dessert: s’mores and coffee

Sunday
- breakfast: steel cut oatmeal with caramelized bananas served with fresh fruit salad (plums, white peaches, nectarines, apples) oh yes, and left over s’mores because it is vacation!

Upon leaving the island, we drove to our favorite spot in Stockton for lunch and had killer sweet potato fries, decadent milk shakes, delicious burgers with grilled onions and secret sauce- Moo Moo’s Burger Barn.

But when we arrived back home, we just couldn’t let the vacation feeling escape us, so we immediately invited some family over for dinner. The menu was simple, yet fresh and reeked of summer! BBQ’d sword fish, baked potatoes and some fresh greens.

Oh wait, what’s that you say? You wanted a recipe? Well, I had a feeling…but it is summer and I like to keep things on the simple side.

Photo Credit: Butteryum Blog Spot

Corn & Black Bean Salad

Ingredients

5 ears of corn, shucked (approx 2 cups)
1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
3 TBS cider vinegar
3 TBS olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
4 whole bell peppers, sliced in half (this is your serving bowl, parboiling them is a plus if camping equipment permits)
1 (14 oz) can black beans, rinsed
1 lime, juiced
1 (4 oz) container, crumbled Feta (optional)
1/2 cup basil, finely chopped plus additional basil (garnish, optional)

Directions

Husk corn and rinse. Heat grill to 350F.

Shuck corn and remove all strings, place in foil and crimp edges tightly to retain moisture. BBQ corn packets for 20 minutes, turn every 10 minutes. Remove corn from foil for the last 10 minutes and allow to brown, turning regularly.

Note: Length of cooking time will vary depending on the tenderness, variety and age of the corn – some types of corn may be done in half the time.

Immediately immerse corn in cold water to stop the cooking and to set the color. When the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob.

In a large-size bowl, add all remaining ingredients and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Taste for seasonings and serve cold or at room temperature.

———–
A bit more history I dug up while writing this post that I wanted to share for those of you still interested in learning/reading more about Tinsley Island.

Trivia: the lighthouse was one of a chain of seventeen stations that started at the entrance to San Francisco Bay (Point Bonita) and ended at Roe Island in Suisun Bay.

In 1955, the U.S. Coast Guard automated the light and fog horn mechanisms, and the main building of the Carquinez Strait Lighthouse was sold to a private party who, in 1957, moved the building by barge up the Strait to its present position at Elliot Cove, overlooking the scenic marina. Of the seventeen original lighthouse buildings, only two others remain in existence: the St. Francis Yacht Club on Tinsley Island, and the East Brothers lighthouse in San Pablo Bay (now a bed and breakfast establishment). Tinsley Island is located at latitude – longitude coordinates of N 38.0377 and W -121.49578

More great photos and historical information can be found at California’s Majestic Lighthouse’s blog.

While I have attempted to cross post from my original piece done for the SV Mom’s Blog, technical difficulties have prevailed on my end and I am now going to just do my best to fill your foodie appetite for a new recipe. That said, for the full story behind this recipe please do read on at Silicon Valley Mom’s Blog: Mi Pueblo San Rafael’s Newest Latin Supermarket

Cactus Taco Filling (Nopales en Ensalada)

Ingredients

1 ½ lbs paddle cactus leaves (nopales), spines removed cut the size of French Green Beans

4 TBS white vinegar

½ tsp oregano, dried but not ground

¼ cup cilantro plus more for garnish, fresh chopped

1 large potato, peeled then cubed

salt and pepper, to taste

1 yellow onion, sliced length-wise

3 tomatoes, diced

2 TBS vegetable oil

1 package corn tortillas, cooked

sour cream (optional)

Panela or cotija cheese (optional)

NOTES:
Mexican and other Latino markets, like Mi Pueblo, often sell prepared cactus leaves, which is MUCH easier than having to wear gloves and use a paring knife to remove spines. If you would like to see a good video on how to do this I recommend Zarela Martinez’s son, Food Network star, Aaron Sanchez clip that shows you how to work with Nopales & Chayotes.

Directions

Cut the fresh cactus leaves into strips. In a saucepan, boil cactus with 1/2 cup water and a large pinch of salt, covered, for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain and rinse well in cold water to remove the slippery film which develops from boiling. In a bowl, combine cactus with white wine vinegar, oregano and cilantro. Let sit for 30 minutes.

I typically cook my tortillas on top of an oven burner, at low heat, for 15-25 seconds on each side. This does tend to mess up an electric burner — it is a bit less of a mess on a gas burner. You can also pan fry them by spraying a non-stick spray in a pan and turning once on each side or there is always the popular oil pan fry method. To keep cooked tortillas warm, place in a cloth or paper towel on a plate while preparing the remainder of tortillas. Set aside. Note: Plastic wrap or aluminum foil used to keep the tortillas warm often creates a damp tortilla unless there is an ample amount of paper/cloth involved to absorb the moisture.

Heat vegetable oil in a saute pan and add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes on medium-high heat, stirring frequently to prevent from sticking to bottom of pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Add in the onion and cook 5-7 minutes until translucent. Lower to medium heat and add in the tomatoes for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the cactus for 5 minutes to warm and absorb the flavors. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with cheese and additional cilantro.

Serves 4-6

This is an original recipe post to Silicon Valley Moms Blog.

Fresh Shucked BBQ Oysters

Spices, Bakery, Tastings & Produce (sigh)

Well, I guess it was just too difficult for me to go commando on the wordless concept – I considered it, but just couldn’t do it! Gracias Mi Pueblo – I am inspired and I especially like the tequila bar- that’s something you just don’t find at Safeway. “Tequila!” And for those of you whom knew me in college I’ll ask that you respect the TCE {tequila code of ethics } and not provide any revealing comments. Por Favor(pôr’ fä-vôr’) Chicas!

Have I stumped you yet? What on earth could I be talking about now? It all starts with an invitation to lunch at an adorable restaurant in Palo Alto called Vino Locale. The proprietor is the seventh son of a seventh son and had quite a personality. While the restaurant is typically closed on Monday, this colorful gentleman played host to a group of ladies serving his finest savory and sweet nibbles. The event was the then upcoming release of Just Let Me Lie Down – the necessary terms for the half-insane working mom – written by Kristin van Ogtrop, the editor of Real Simple.

The food-side chat not only gave great insight into her book, which is wonderfully witty and ironically realistic, she was kind enough to want to learn more about my first book and help me plan the next one! She had some great professional insight and ideas into the marketplace and now has me laser focused on book #2. Speaking of food, (go figure right? how unlike me- not!) one of my favorite excerpts from Kristin’s book Just Let Me Lie Down is a recipe…

Recipe for disaster: Things you believe you can accomplish in the kitchen during those deluded moments when you think devoting an entire day to cooking actually works with your schedule and lifestyle. Including, but not limited to, osso bucco, cassoulet, and pavlova. (She is a woman/mother after my own heart.)

And Kristin even manages to encapsulate my mobile dependency when she writes about Technical bipolarism: When you wake up in the morning and can’t imagine how you would get through life without your BlackBerry, but by bedtime, you want to strap a bomb to it and blow it to smithereens. (Heck yeah!)

I’ve selected this recipe from my treasure trove just might fit the bill- easy to make and allows time for the cook to ‘just lie down’ and take a nap. It makes a nice side dish or light stand alone meal. It is one of my favorite summer recipes taught to me by my Zia Maria Rosa when we spent some time one summer in La Maremma, Italy. The weather there is so hot in the summer that the dinner meal is typically prepared at breakfast when it is still cool enough to turn on the oven. This recipe can easily be modified to include most anything yummy in your fridge or pantry — the possibilities are endless, have fun with it and know that in some way this reflection of my time spent in Italy ties back to my chance meeting with Kristin to celebrate her new book and our discussion of my upcoming cook book – it’s really all just ‘Real Simple’.

Maremma Rice Salad

Ingredients

2 cups cooked rice
1 cup dry mozzarella, cubed
1/2 cup peas, cooked
1/2 cup pearl onions, cooked
6-10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
3 TBS red wine vinegar
2 TBS mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Cook rice according to package directions. Set aside to cool. Slightly under cook peas and onions and drain and set aside. In large size bowl, mix all prepared ingredients together. Then add Parmesan cheese olive oil, vinegar and mayonnaise.

Special thanks to my good friend Stacy Libby for all of her photos from the luncheon. For a great blog-time check her out on Laptop TV Mom at www.ltvmom.com. And thanks to the Silicon Valley Moms Blog for the wonderful opportunity to meet Kristin. You can order Kristin’s book on Amazon.

Gina von Esmarch, Kristin van Ogtrop & Stacy Libby

While I am not typically a wordless Wednesday kinda-gal, I have been tempted to anti-up. Today’s the day. My trip to Yountville still has me dreaming of these images on a daily basis…the heart of a foodie unleashed. My photo diary of Bouchon Bakery, Napa Style and French Laundry.

Below the Napa Style image of the store and salmon colored salt, you can see the picturesque grounds and the organic vegetable garden at French Laundry…

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.

Eggplant Parmigiana- While the photo may not captivate you, the flavors will!

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.

Simple Marinara Infused with Garlic & Spices.

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.

Fried eggplants- the cornerstone ingredient to this classic Southern Italian dish.

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.

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!

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.

I've been hacked-memoirs of a pseudo-porn gal. (Formerly @ginavon)

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).

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.

Bertolli Dinner at St. Supery Winery

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!

Gina and Jennie Tasting Divine Chocolate Glop in Scharffen Berger Box

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.

Photo Taken by Stephanie Im/KQED for Bay Area Bites

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!

Anna Lingeris & Chef Elizabeth Falkner

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.